Star Trek Online: Repulse
by the Starfleet Kid
Summary: The hero of 'Bonaventure' and 'Warspite' returns in this prequel adventure! Commander Twaiheak (Tw'eak) Sh'abbas of Starfleet has just been promoted to serve as the first officer of the Steamrunner-class USS Repulse. The crew is underwhelming, and the captain is a challenge for her to deal with, but what she learns of command in this adventure helps her become a Starfleet legend...
1. Chapter 1

Across the decks and down the corridors of the _Steamrunner_-class Federation starship _Repulse_, the klaxon sounded. This was not the 'red alert' tone that would have been a familiar noise throughout the rooms and hallways of a Federation escort in wartime. This alarm was the harbinger of impending doom.

"Prepare for core ejection!" the chief engineer, Lieutenant Commander Salvatore Benso, called out. Main Engineering was like a hive around him, with its warp core a queen in distress. Officers and enlisted personnel alike dashed about, all frenetic, yet focused as one on the task that had fallen to them. Benso ran his fingers through his thinning hair, turned and clapped his hands at a passing ensign. "Come on, Jenkins, pick it up!"

Ensign Jenkins stumbled briefly, before nearly toppling Benso's assistant chief engineer, Lieutenant Dyralxia Rau, who rushed to the console adjacent to Benso's. "Structural integrity is holding for now, the ejection pathway is secure," she declared, her voice full of a calm her Betazoid senses could tell her no one else shared in the room. "Readying primary plasma coolant for disconnect."

The three-storey engineering bay was alive with people coming and going - medical teams rushing in, engineering crews sprinting for control panels, everyone checking to be sure they were on the right side of the protective forcefield that would spring into place once the coolant lines had been disconnected.

"We'll have six seconds once the coolant's cut," Benso instructed his charges. "Six seconds before that core's gotta be gone - or we're all dead."

A number of _Repulse _personnel checked their step, coming to a halt as Benso spoke. It was as though the gravity of his words had caused them to decelerate, just for a moment, and grapple with the enormity of their task. Each made their reckoning swiftly, and resumed their various duties with purpose.

"Coolant lines ready for extraction," Rau said.

"Cut it, Dyra," Benso ordered.

Rau nodded, and pressed her console. The sound of a forcefield coming to life could be heard briefly, then the plasma coolant lines were no longer connected. "Core clear to eject!"

"Here we go!" Benso began programming inputs at his workstation and, as he did, the interlocks holding the titanic structure of the warp core in its usual position began to groan and click open.

But nothing happened. Despite this, the warp core held in place. Rau and the rest of the crew began to straighten up, breathing again. But Benso did not. He remained steadfast, eyes fixed on the console.

Rau stepped over to stand next to him, just as Benso raised an exultant fist in the air. "Five-point-six seconds!" he called out.

The engineers standing in their places let out a cheer. There was applause, and a sense of relief swept across the room. Benso gave an approving nod, then bumped his fist against Rau's. "Nice."

"Yeah, we nailed it!" Rau replied, exultant.

Both engineers turned to face a dark-haired Andorian woman in command uniform who was standing behind them, out of the way against a bulkhead. Out of place as she was in a room full of 'lower decks' personnel, her presence in the room towered over the scene despite her slight stature. As Benso and Rau gave her their full attention, so did everyone else in the room. "How'd you like that, Commander?" Benso asked.

Commander Twaiheak Sh'abbas nodded, her face impassive. She held out a padd, reading from it. "The simulation report counts twelve dead, forty-seven wounded, and a sixty-four percent chance of the ship having been destroyed." Tw'eak raised both eyebrows briefly. "Those aren't great odds."

"But we did it," Benso protested. "We got the core clear in time. Just like we were supposed to."

"It took you ninety-eight seconds to get to that point," Tw'eak replied flatly. "Safe-case scenario - a _Steamrunner_-class starship in a cascade systems failure with failing antimatter containment - safe-case in this simulation is eighty seconds or less. Anything longer and the risk of our destruction increases exponentially."

"Safe-case... what is that, anyway? Maybe that number shakes out in a holodeck, but out here for real? Come on." Benso turned his dark eyes back to Tw'eak, his face almost a snarl. "How were we supposed to get all that done - including that little stunt you included with the EPS relays - with twenty less seconds to spare?"

"You're Starfleet engineers, Commander." Tw'eak put on her most professional smile. "I'd have thought that would make you capable of handling the unexpected."

"So you admit it." Benso pointed at her. "It's impossible. See."

Tw'eak could sense that Benso wasn't about to let this go. "The EPS junction blow-out was also something that should've been anticipated. That's why you needed Thompson and Day at their respective stations."

"Both of 'em were 'injured' early in the scenario," Rau interjected.

"Redundant crew responsibilities," Tw'eak countered. "Some of your people found themselves out of position." She leaned back, looking across the deck at Ensign Jenkins' despondent face. "It'll come with practice, Ensign. That's why we do this."

"I don't get it, Commander," Benso countered, his dark eyes narrowed at her. "They make you first officer two weeks ago, and we get to run this drill five times since."

Tw'eak's antennae angled inwards, and she barely held her fury in check. "Six, Mr. Benso. At least it will be by the end of tomorrow. Fifteen-hundred. Brief your personnel and reinforce their understandings. We'll run it again until best practice becomes second nature." She took a step forward, and her voice became ice-cold. "Any further protestations you might have can be brought up with me in private, is that clear?"

Benso merely gave Tw'eak a flippant nod of the head, then turned back to his engine room. "All right, people - you've got five minutes to tell me what else we screwed up. Let's..." He glanced over his shoulder. "Let's do the impossible."

Tw'eak nodded at Rau and forced her mind clear, presciently aware as she was of the lieutenant's Betazoid heritage. Rau took the opportunity to step forward. "You think I could speak to you, Commander? For just a minute?"

"I'm due back on the bridge - would you mind if the lieutenant came with me for the moment, Commander?"

Benso shrugged. "Your ship, boss - you tell me."

Tw'eak gritted her teeth. "In that case, we can talk over here. Won't be long." Rau followed Tw'eak into a doorway alcove. "What can I help you with, Lieutenant?"

Rau took a quick peek around the edge of the alcove, spotting Benso turning his rage upon Jenkins. "Permission to be frank, ma'am."

"Of course," Tw'eak replied.

"It's about the drills, ma'am. Look, we're all glad you're taking the time to focus on efficiency - I know we haven't exactly been the finest engine room in Starfleet. We all know it."

"Honestly, Lieutenant, that's not my decision, it's the captain's. He's a former chief engineer himself, and he wants standards to be kept."

"Oh, I know. He's been down here to tell us all that a bunch of times." Rau fought the urge to roll her eyes, unsure whether Tw'eak was trustworthy. "Still, I just think maybe we could ease into this a bit more, if you know what I mean?"

"I don't." For her part, Tw'eak saw no reason to give the lieutenant the benefit of the doubt.

"We get it," Rau said plainly. "We suck. And we know it. It's not a secret. I've been trying to get people working harder - working smarter, too - but the truth is, well..."

This time, Tw'eak thought she "One of the things I've learned over the years, Lieutenant, is that you can't command through fear, only through respect."

"Good point," Rau acknowledged, glancing back at Benso as she did.

"We'll get it sorted out. This is just the beginning. But I have to at least have this to show the captain, to indicate that we're trying to resolve this." Tw'eak smiled at Rau. "For the same reason you wanted to talk to me."

"To show the chief that we're trying to resolve this."

"Exactly." Tw'eak gave a slight nod. "I appreciate the feedback, Lieutenant. The door's always open."

Unexpectedly, Rau snickered - and immediately caught herself. "Sorry, ma'am. Let's just say - never mind."

Tw'eak tilted her head slightly, curious. "No, let's not. What is it?"

"Well, what I was going to say was - is this off the record, ma'am?"

"That all depends on what you have to tell me." She glanced towards the engine room, her antennae angling downwards, an expression of her disappointment. "You'll forgive me if I'm not in the habit of having lieutenants snicker at me, but then, there are a lot of things that need to change around here, it seems."

"Oh, that did change already, though. Commander Freitag, ma'am. His 'open door policy', you see, was more open to certain crew members at all hours than others."

Tw'eak's mouth became a flat line. "Which crew members, Lieutenant?"

"The... um, the female ones, ma'am."

Tw'eak closed her eyes and fought the urge to scream.

"But I never - and everyone knew, ma'am, and we all looked out for each other, until he went, then you came in. Nothing major."

"Nothing -?" Tw'eak's antennae flared outwards. "Lieutenant, if it were my ship, he'd be out an airlock and floating his way back to Earth Spacedock for a new commission. That sort of unprofessional conduct has no place in Starfleet - or anywhere else, for that matter."

Rau nodded, her tight chestnut-coloured ponytail bobbing almost comically as she did. She seemed almost spooked by Tw'eak's candour. "No, I get it. I mean, um... is that all, ma'am?"

"Unless you have anything further, Lieutenant."

"Not at the present time, ma'am."

"Thank you again for the feedback. As you were." Tw'eak watched Rau raise her hand as if to salute, then turn and fall back out again.

* * *

_Two weeks_, Tw'eak thought as she left Engineering and headed for the nearest turbolift. She had only been given the full rank of Commander a month previous, and the chance for a duty posting aboard a ship like the _Repulse_ had been too good to pass up. For a long-serving tactical officer like herself, the dream was a posting would lead to further combat experience - especially in space, where her training and aggressive mindset would hopefully be of use in the war against the Klingons. Most of her previous experience, aboard _Sovereign_-class starships, had been in relatively placid exploration and scientific missions, or as part of a task force under an admiral's direction. This, she thought, would be a real taste of front-line service, a chance to earn her place in the Wall of Heroes. Every Andorian child felt destined for glory, a noble life of service, honour and remembrance in death. For Tw'eak, whose family counted seven members resting there already - including one of her own fathers, a decorated Starfleet Marine who had died during the last few days of the Dominion War - there was no greater destiny than to earn her place in the Wall.

That had become a forlorn ideal. Instead, her role aboard the ship - a ship whose first duty assignment once she arrived had been to patrol the fringes of Romulan space, far from the front lines - had been more like that of a diplomat. The interpersonal factors, between the chief engineer and the captain, between the tactical officer and the helmsman, between the chief science officer and seemingly everyone else, had made this ship feel dysfunctional right across its every deck.

The ensigns and enlisted personnel she talked to handled their words as if they were made of trilithium resin, apt to cause a deadly explosion and best used sparsely. Her fellow senior officers had either avoided her altogether - she had yet to exchange more than five words with the elusive chief science officer - or, like Benso, sought to square off with her at every opportunity. There were more than enough issues already onboard without things being complicated by the knowledge that her predecessor had been the kind of officer people warned each other about.

Tw'eak rounded the corner, nearest turbolift in her sights, when the sight of a slender female figure slightly taller than her, eyes bright and intent upon their quarry, nearly made her alter course. Wearing a saffron-coloured lab coat, the chief medical officer, Dr. Mina Ogilvie aimed the padd in her hand at Tw'eak. "There you are!"

Tw'eak braced for another round of verbal sparring. "Hello, Doctor," she said, sliding to a halt. This was where it began - Dr. Ogilvie was not intimidating to Tw'eak, but her tendency to talk to people by stepping in extremely close was unnerving. It carried over into her sickbay, where she tended to prefer 'working by feel', as she called it, rather than rely upon tricorder scan or a bio-bed reading. That reflected her other tendency - confident assurance of whatever she thought, felt, or divined to be true, despite ample evidence to the contrary. Tw'eak had heard a few horror stories already during her time on board. It was something - much like Benso's poorly-run engine room, or the state of discipline among the bridge officers - which she hoped to begin to change.

An opening gambit would be required to throw her off-base. "Have you received my medical records from Starfleet yet?"

"What?" The unexpected topic of discussion startled Ogilvie. "Oh yes, they've arrived. I haven't taken a look at them yet, beyond to see that I don't need to schedule you for a medical examination for some time."

"I had one just a few months ago, not long before my promotion came through."

"Yes, well. Congratulations and all that." There was no warmth or depth of feeling in Ogilvie's voice. "I'll see if there's anything further to that later. But that's not what I wanted to discuss with you."

Tw'eak feigned surprise. "Is that so."

Ogilvie closed in so tightly to Tw'eak that her Andorian antennae were sensitive to her heartbeat. "I've been looking over your proposed changes for the shift schedule. This simply isn't going to work."

"Which part?" Tw'eak said, poker-faced.

"Well. All of it." Ogilvie held up the padd so Tw'eak could see. "You have Ensign Th'zarik, Doctor Horsell, and Lieutenant Morlack on active duty rotation. It's all wrong."

"It is?"

"I should say so! It's my sickbay. Why am I not given a place in the duty rotation?"

Tw'eak took a minor step back. "I explained this when we spoke last week - for you to be on duty at one time or another, when you're the only certified doctor aboard, is not as flexible as this arrangement."

"Flexible - I should say not." Ogilvie held up her padd. "You have Lieutenant Downie on as an alternate. But she's the ship's counselor."

"She has accreditation in advanced first aid and is a trauma specialist."

"A psychological trauma specialist." Ogilvie's eyes narrowed.

"We won't be experiencing that much trauma," Tw'eak replied with a smile. "I hope," she added quickly.

"And I don't know why you've got Herbert Horsell down for a posting when I'm not even on here at all. We're both doctors."

"That's because I thought it would be best to place him in the rotation, to ensure you have off-duty time on a regular basis."

"As chief medical officer, I don't get off-duty time," Ogilvie said flatly, almost sneering.

"Well, most humans have to sleep sometime. Having a period of time where Dr. Horsell is guaranteed to be present in the sickbay means you can get your rest."

Tw'eak was prevented from instructing the doctor on needing to get a good night's sleep by Ogilvie scuffing the padd in disgust. "And for that matter, Lieutenant Morlack is a biochemist - and is not fully qualified."

"No, but his qualifications do allow him to hold that posting."

Ogilvie rolled her eyes, irritating Tw'eak. "There's holding a posting, and then there's what you do with it."

"I had the three of them arrange the particulars of the schedule. Aside from you and Lieutenant Downie, they are the most senior officers assigned to medical duties. This is how they worked it out. Lieutenant Morlack was most comfortable with the third shift, since it's during the 'overnight' ship-time hours." Being a Benzite, Tw'eak reasoned it was possible that Horsell and Th'zarik asked for the earlier schedules, and Morlack's people-pleasing personality led him to concede to their requests.

"We're understaffed," Ogilvie declared suddenly. "That's the main problem. Two doctors and eight nurses, out of a crew of - what, ninety-six?"

"Ninety-three," Tw'eak corrected. "With four medical lab personnel and Lieutenant Downie, the counselor." She shook her head. "That's not including those who like, again, Lieutenant Downie, are qualified enough to rate a posting in medical duties." She shrugged. "You'll notice that I avoided putting engineering or tactical personnel on the duty roster, even though we have rated combat medics who could handle first point of contact."

"But should it not follow that, as this is my sickbay we're talking about, I should have first point of contact with my own patients?"

Tw'eak's smile remained in place, even though now it was there by force. "Medical care works most efficiently when the greatest care is given to those who need it most."

"Honestly, Commander, you don't need to explain my own specialty to me. But this duty roster is supposed to be your specialty, and I would like you to explain to me why it is that I have no duty posting on my own department's roster."

"You do. A permanent one."

Ogilvie backed off slightly. "Well, of course. It is my sickbay."

"And as such, you'll be contacted as required. But the duty officer will be the first point of contact. This is - I have an old friend of mine, who lives on Earth now, and she ran her sickbay this way for years."

"She did, did she. Hmm."

"She found it really made a difference in how much time she could devote to patient care, if the triage - that is what they call it, right?"

"Triage, yes," Ogilvie replied snippily.

"If the triage wasn't something she needed to be directly responsible for, all the time. That first point of contact can be made by any of your personnel, with overall supervision by the highest-ranking on duty. Counselor Downie would be available to cover if any of the senior officers can't be present, though she will have her own appointments to keep just down the hall."

"Yes," Ogilvie said impatiently.

"And in the event of serious emergencies or surgical intervention being required, that's where you would be called upon to provide whatever they can't as required. Otherwise, you'll be free to oversee logistics, intervene in patient care as you please, and so forth. There would even be time for you to pursue personal projects or research under this system - something you don't have under the current structure of the duty roster. I thought you might appreciate that."

"Oh, and I do, but... I don't know how to say this..."

Tw'eak shrugged. "I'm listening."

"Well, it just... feels like I am being undermined by this schedule." Ogilvie's eyes widened as Tw'eak raised an eyebrow in response. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your having consulted your friends and whoever else, but you didn't consult me."

Tw'eak gave an involuntary chuckle. "As I mentioned, we discussed this last week." Tw'eak looked upwards as if into her memory. "We were in your office, as I recall. Ensign Shorndal had just had his broken ankle repaired."

"But you told me then that you would consult with me before you made any changes!"

"I did, this is a proposal."

"A proposal." Ogilvie stammered for a moment. "Has - have you presented this to Captain Corlett?"

"It's on his desk, yes. I had discussed it with him, in principle at least, before I made up the draft for the proposal. He asked me to consult with everyone before I brought him a final plan. I did, and... here it is."

"And - but what if I refuse?"

Tw'eak held her frustrations tightly in check. "That is your right."

"Well. Then suppose instead-"

This wasn't an argument Tw'eak was willing to lose. "That being said, the captain would be within his rights to override your objections and implement that schedule regardless."

Ogilvie was struck by Tw'eak's interruption. "He - of - of course." She looked awkwardly at Tw'eak, like a stricken bird. "And would he?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to speak for the captain. Have you discussed your objections with him at all?"

"Not - not as yet, no."

Tw'eak kept her smile from her face. There was always one senior officer at some point in the chain of command who could be sat down and badgered into deferring or halting a new way of doing things. Tw'eak didn't know Captain Avery Corlett well enough to say if he would consider Ogilvie's complaints or not, but Tw'eak's own plan spoke for itself.

"Normally," Ogilvie continued, "I would just go to Commander Freitag for whatever I needed, so I'm just not used to involving the captain in how I run my sickbay."

Tw'eak cleared her throat to conceal a sigh. "I don't think the captain has an 'open door' policy quite like the commander did." She stared hard at the doctor.

"Yes, well." There was an unspoken moment as Ogilvie seemed to reckon with what Tw'eak had said. It hadn't been hard for Tw'eak to put together. The former first officer with the 'open door' policy, the attractive, slender chief medical officer who knew how to get what she wanted... And yet, if she did acknowledge any realization of what Tw'eak had figured out, Ogilvie gave no sign of it beyond a moment's pause.

"I would recommend you arrange a time with the captain, and bring your objections to him. This way, we can both abide by his decision."

"I'll bring this to the captain, then," Ogilvie said tentatively, then hastend to add, "some time soon. Thank you, Commander." She then continued upon her way, and around another corner, before Tw'eak could reply.

Tw'eak shook her head, reminding herself that, no, it wasn't her, everyone on this ship seemed to have an opinion they regarded as fact, or a hidden agenda. Her presence would be a challenge to them - it would always be, just because she represented changes. But the more she learned, the better she understood the scale of the challenge she faced, to make those changes. Just getting a duty roster and a breach drill accomplished felt as exhausting as a week's hunt in the Northern Wastes. The full scale of changes needed kept unfolding before her, like an expanse of ice, and she had to keep moving, keep alert, ready for anything.

As the turbolift arrived, two facts occurred to her: firstly, that each new twist of fate made the odds of her success increasingly unlikely, but also, that she was Andorian, born and raised on a planet where sentient life should have been impossible. The less likely it got, the harder she would work to make it happen. That was how she had lived, and served, her whole life. It was the only thing she knew how to do. "Bridge," she said, the turbolift doors sliding shut as she did.


	2. Chapter 2

The bridge of the starship _Repulse_ was, as bridge modules go, nothing special. Pride of place as the nerve centre of the _Steamrunner_-class vessel was not quite enough to make it feel proud of itself. Tw'eak's former ship, the _Sovereign_-class USS _Nelson_, had a bridge module roughly twice the size. The privilege of being a cruiser, and a lynchpin of Starfleet's war efforts, gave the _Sovereign_-class vessel the need for an appropriately stately command centre. Not so, the smaller _Steamrunner_. With space at a premium and the design as a whole leaving little meat on its bones - with its famously unconventional design, warp nacelles essentially impaled either side of the saucer, with a deflector module seeming to dangle between them - the bridge reflected the spartan, unorthodox aesthetic rather well.

The bridge itself felt squashed, oblong port to starboard, with turbolifts either side. In the centre, a lone chair for the officer commanding, was flanked behind by curving stand-up work stations, one for tactical and the other for operations. Taking a post at either felt like standing at the captain's shoulder - this, indeed, may have been the intention, ops and tactical essentially speaking into the ears of whoever occupied the chair. Both upper stations shared workspace with three others along the back wall, and these were usually reserved for mission ops, science and engineering. In front of the captain's chair, The helm position sat below that cramped work space, with walkways left and right towards a turbolift on one side, the captain's ready room to starboard. At the back were a pair of doorways, one for a turbolift, the other for a conference room that, were Tw'eak to describe it comparatively, would barely qualify as a supply closet on a _Sovereign_-class starship.

The regular duty rotation put Ensign Brienne Koepka at the helm, with Lieutenant Commander V'sar at operations and Lieutenant Jon Sagittori at tactical. Since most engineering personnel were still below, the engineering console was inactive, though on occasion the captain stood here, preferring the view of warp engines in operation to his command chair. But Captain Corlett was absent from the bridge. The science officer, Lieutenant Dorval Raxx, was also nowhere to be seen. Perhaps this was for the best - Raxx could be abrasive at the best of times, especially since Lieutenant Sagittori had been on edge of late. His on-again/off-again relationship with Lieutenant Koepka was an open secret aboard the _Repulse_, but this last breakup a month ago had seemed to be for good. The reasons why were not certain in anyone's mind, and Tw'eak had resolved to keep herself at a distance - as long as the crew remained cordial and professional with each other. Any overstepping of boundaries, especially on duty, would make their problems her problem.

V'Sar was tall for a Vulcan, dark-haired and angular in her build. Tw'eak guessed the operations officer was older than herself by at least double. Yet like many Vulcans, she had no ambition for command, preferring to perform essential service and make best use of her gifts. This had not prevented the occasional bit of friction between herself and Lieutenant Raxx, whose aggressive insistence on being right made it that much harder to take when cool Vulcan logic proved him to be dead wrong. It didn't help to know, as Tw'eak had learned second-hand from a couple of sources, including Lieutenant Sagittori, that Raxx had the captain's ear, the two of them working together on... something. It may have been as simple as Captain Corlett and him being on good terms - Tw'eak had been told that Raxx's transfer had been arranged by Corlett personally, meaning he wasn't going anywhere. It was probably just as well - Tw'eak couldn't imagine Raxx would have been a popular figure on vessels with full complements of science teams or researchers.

But then there was Lieutenant Sagittori - almost stereotypically the consummate tactical officer, in rugged looks, in proficiency both at his station and with a phaser alike, and in lightning-quick temperament. This, however, was part of the problem - Sagittori had clearly enjoyed one too many 'knights in shining armour' narratives in his youth, and while Tw'eak recognized that the young officer had potential, Sagittori treated his lieutenant's rank almost as an insult. His attempts to 'buddy' with Tw'eak, tactical officer to former tactical officer, had come to a sharp end when Tw'eak had reviewed his rather unconventional setup of the tactical station and found it to be unsatisfactory on multiple levels of efficiency and combat readiness. Strangely, this had endeared Tw'eak to Ensign Koepka, the helm officer, whose intuition for her position was almost a sixth sense. While she was incredibly competent in her role, the blonde ensign shared a tendency to eccentricity that seemed to be common among helm officers - steering a starship flawlessly, but socially, a total wreck.

V'Sar nodded to Tw'eak as she approached. "Systems nominal, Commander."

"Thank you, V'Sar. I take it nothing interesting has come through since I was last here."

"They flunked it again, didn't they," Sagittori muttered.

"I think 'flunked' might be a bit harsh, Lieutenant. They've made progress."

"Not enough progress, I bet." Sagittori shook his head. "Typical."

"Of what?"

Sagittori looked up at Tw'eak, eyes widening. "Ma'am?"

"You'll have to forgive me, I'm in the habit of listening to my junior officers. I'm also fairly new here. So when you say something is 'typical', whatever it is, that's news to me. What's 'typical' here might not meet my expectation of 'normal'. So perhaps you'll enlighten me."

"You want me to-?"

"I'd welcome constructive suggestions. Maybe you know something I don't."

Sagittori hesitated a moment, so Tw'eak nodded for him to speak. "That engine room is a disaster in slow motion. A lot of things here are. I mean, this is Starfleet. There's a war going on right now that we're not even a part of, because we're flunking everything, clear across the board - and here we go, flunking it again."

"Go on." Tw'eak wondered if the tactical officer would recognize whether, as humans said, he was being given enough rope to hang himself.

Sure enough, Sagittori continued along. "The whole ship is just so - full of people like - um, people who - "

"Tell her what you really think, Jon," Koepka goaded from the helm.

Taking her cue as provocation, Sagittori grimaced, then rolled his eyes. "We just suck - at everything. We've been below or just barely at fleet standards in combat drills, in engineering drills, in damage control drills... if we actually did face off against the Klingons, they wouldn't even break a sweat carving us a new -"

"Lieutenant," Tw'eak said sharply, and Sagittori's jaw hung open. "I said I'm open to suggestions. Do you have any suggestion as to how we can improve, as a crew?"

Sagittori swallowed hard. "No, ma'am. Not at present."

"When you do, you know where to find me. But understand this - you're a senior officer onboard, and as such, you carry an important responsibility that only goes one way."

"Oh, and what's that?" Sagittori asked dismissively.

"When others speak of you, ensigns or other personnel, they're speaking for themselves. But as a bridge officer, your comments carry with them the weight of command. And if you were to speak so directly about 'flunking', to borrow your term, in a mess hall, or in a crew lounge... it has an impact, whether you're aware of it or not."

"I'd never," Sagittori began.

"He would," Koepka corrected, drawing a sharp look of rebuke from Sagittori. "Well, you would."

"Remember that most of the lower ranks see this bridge twice in the course of their service - once to report for duty, the other to say farewell on their way to new postings. You, on the other hand... you're here every shift. That counts for a lot more than you might realize."

Sagittori nodded, suitably admonished. "I understand."

"I hope you do. Nothing affects crew morale more sharply than the impressions their efforts make to their commanding officers. It gives our words an inordinate weight, one we'd do well to remember they carry before cutting loose."

Sagittori lowered his head, silently accepting the dressing-down.

Tw'eak had been having that impression a lot lately - it seemed like half the crew had forgotten how to behave like Starfleet officers, and the other half were too intimidated - or too inferior in rank - to risk making anything of it. She took a quick look at Koepka, who was looking over a shoulder at the goings-on behind her. "What's our current course and heading, Ensign?" Tw'eak asked her.

"Oh - uh, with the simulation completed, we're resuming our course and heading for - um, for our destination place."

Tw'eak fought the urge to smirk, and waited a moment.

"Which is the Aindo system, ma'am." Koepka turned anxiously towards Tw'eak. "Estimated time of arrival: forty-seven minutes. Would the commander like to review our orders?"

"In just a minute. I'll be discussing that with the captain. This will be our first combat patrol since I've come on board. I don't want there to be any misunderstandings."

"Are you sure we're ready?" Sagittori asked derisively.

Tw'eak took a moment, letting her eyes - and the gravity of being glared at by his superior - settle on Sagittori. "I guess we'll find out," she replied, before walking past Koepka and pressing the chime on the ready room door.

* * *

"Enter," came the reply from within. Stepping beyond the door, Tw'eak was struck, as she had been every time, by the slightly burnt smell of metal on the other side. Captain Corlett had an odd hobby of working with old machines - sometimes turning replicated chunks of metal into something specific, other times merely fiddling with some parts that he'd disassembled, trying to bring it back together. The captain was, in fact, sitting with a tool in hand as Tw'eak approached, seemingly annoyed at the interruption. "Well?"

"We're approaching the Aindo system."

"Yes, yes. Patrol. How..." Corlett sighed, his sharp green eyes lighting with a wry glow. "How wonderful."

Tw'eak waited for a moment, this time because she knew whatever she said was about to be spoken over. Corlett was nothing like Tw'eak's old captain - a little too keen to find the irony in every situation, he tended to draw out conversations indefinitely, rather than stick to business. This was exactly what Tw'eak didn't have time for, not with the ship less than an hour from potential combat.

"Do you know that patrol missions, escort starship missions... they used to be performed by junior-ranked crews?"

"Sir?"

"Lieutenants as captains, cadets on station aboard some _Miranda_-class starship ten times older than the eldest officer aboard... not anymore. This war... now they put captains everywhere and wonder why we're overstretched." He leaned back in the chair, a number of wood shavings flecking off of his uniform tunic as he did. "I often wonder whether it will end solely because we don't have the logistical strength to fight any further. Too much overstretch, and sooner or later... snap."

Tw'eak pursed her lips. She knew Corlett's fondness for his own opinion - an opinion that, on this subject, he had yet to share with her - and his disdain for anyone who dared interrupt with countervailing facts. "I don't know, sir."

"It used to be, a Starfleet vessel's very presence was enough to send the Klingons running for their cloaking devices... then for years, we worked together, helped them strengthen, only for them to turn on the Gorn, then break our alliance." He shook his head. "I just don't know."

"You seem convinced of a particular outcome," Tw'eak offered.

"Oh, not at all. Victory, defeat... it's stalemate, presently. But I don't choose the strategy. At best, I can influence the tactics. If that. The war's decided at higher ranks than mine. Hard to see the grand design in motion from way out here."

Tw'eak shrugged. "All we can do is deal with what's in front of us."

"Spoken like a true tactical officer," Corlett replied, the word 'tactical' seemingly leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. "And what are those tactics, exactly? We sweep a system, only to sweep it again, and again, like a front doorstep, or a beachfront walkway, as though Klingons gather like the dust."

"If you're questioning our tactical outlay-"

"No, no, not this ship. Needs work, I admit, but that's your job. My question is bigger than that - what's the point of all this, really? We're a vessel of war, out to make war, on behalf of a peaceful Federation, for a peaceful future. Do you know this ship was originally part of the crash program to build new defensive ships, to stand against the Borg?"

"Yes, actually, I did. A relative of mine was part of the design process the _Norway_ class starship project." Tw'eak conveniently left out the fact that the relative in question - her _shreya_'s _thavan_, one of her grandparents - was head of the lead design team. "A number of our current ship classes were designed for that purpose, like the _Defiant_, and the _Sovereign_ class."

"Ah, yes." Corlett's eyes drifted. "_Sovereign_ class. I should've had one, you know. Always wanted one."

Tw'eak raised an eyebrow. "Sir?"

"A _Sovereign_-class starship. I used to be chief engineer of the _Galaxy_-class starship _Musashi_, before I moved into command. Now there was a glorious sight. Such clean lines. You hardly needed a navigational deflector - the warp field just... particles would flow so neatly around it, even at the highest of warp velocities. It was breathtaking. But the _Sovereign_-class design made poor _Musashi_ look like she was struggling to break light-speed." He made a grunting noise. "It's aesthetics, I think... makes the particles stand at attention."

"You must not care for the _Steamrunner_'s design, then. This ship surely wouldn't win any beauty contests."

"Oh, I think it works fine. It's a bit chunky in places, even compared to the _Akira_-class starships - another beautiful design, that - but a _Steamrunner_ does its job. Not everything requires smooth surfaces, curved edges. Our own warp field might need a little finer attention to detail, but it's more efficient, power-to-weight, than the _Sovereign_. Having everything up-front and personal has that effect - hits a little harder as a result. But again, is that all there is? A ship like this in Klingon, even Romulan service, wouldn't be out of place. But in Starfleet?"

Tw'eak could see his point. It was the chief science officer's point as well - that the elements of Starfleet's mission beyond system defense and patrol were not well served by an escort vessel. Striking at installations, mounting rescue or reconaissance missions, engaging in combat as part of a task force, one of many starships brought together like a fist in space, against the Klingons... "One would say that the design paradigm of this starship is more adequately geared to combat than most other functions."

"Yes, 'most other functions' - diplomacy, being one. Scientific research, being another. Yet those functions are more in line with the Federation's traditional principles. It's one of the true travesties of the Borg - bad enough that they take us away, use us against our own people... but they made escort ships necessary. A proper starship should be able to explore, do research, conduct diplomacy, and defend itself - in that order. "

"My people have always armed themselves before they go exploring," Tw'eak countered, chuckling to herself. Andorian diplomacy frequently involved the aggressive use of the _ushaan-tor_.

"It suits its purpose, this starship of ours - a specialized purpose, mind you. But such precise specialization... is not a Starfleet value - not a Federation value, either. It's our diversity that's our greatest strength, after all."

Tw'eak wasn't sure what Corlett's point was. She mentally questioned how appropriate it was for him to question his own purpose aboard when she, or any number of other officers, would gladly take his place. This posting was supposed to be everything she had dreamed it could be. Conversations like this one frequently sapped it of the joy she had expected to find here.

Not noticing - or perhaps not caring about - her momentary silence, Corlett continued to ramble. "But I suppose, if we have science vessels, research vessels, search-and-rescue vessels, reconnaissance vessels... well, I suppose 'patrol and escort' vessel is just another of the diverse types of starship, isn't it."

"Best suited to a particular function, yes." It took all of Tw'eak's considerable willpower to keep her antennae from drifting forward, or apart, to signify her level of exasperation. She tried not to let her voice sound strained as she exerted her facial muscles towards that end.

"A peculiar function," Corlett repeated, almost involuntarily.

"One," Tw'eak continued, both to thwart Corlett's reply and to bring the conversation back around to her intention, "that we'd all prefer the Federation to not have to perform. But the Klingons - or, whoever we encounter in the Aindo system, for example - will certainly have other ideas."

"Yes, yes." Corlett raised his hands. "So, to your briefing then, your first patrol with us. I suppose you'll have a few ideas as to how best be about it - after all, this is your area of expertise."

"Only with your approval, of course," Tw'eak said, forcing a smile before she added, "sir."

Corlett smiled, an attempt at reassurance that did not work, largely because the smile did not reach his eye. "Alright, let's hear it."

Tw'eak took a deep breath before she began. Her descriptions - of the system's composition, of expected threats, of contingency plans and other details - were listened to, mostly uninterrupted. Corlett seemed disconnected, almost bored, and Tw'eak found herself wondering why. There was something behind it, she reasoned. But she felt much as she had when it was Lieutenant Sagittori talking down the ship. In a different context, this might be considered defeatism. But her earlier words, about the weight of command in one's remarks, gave her cause for reflection. After all, the lieutenant at tactical would take his cues from the captain, as everyone did. And if Captain Corlett were to project such dissociated, ponderous negativity on the bridge, as he had here in his ready room, then the consequences could be catastrophic - not just for crew morale, but for the starship _Repulse_ and all aboard her.


	3. Chapter 3

"We are now entering the Aindo system."

It had taken most of the time between when Tw'eak entered her captain's ready room and when the two of them had emerged together - Captain Corlett still expounding about some arcane aspect of duty or another - just to get through the operational brief. The hard part, for Tw'eak, was how straightforward this would be - sensors active, seek and destroy, report to Starfleet if successful, request reinforcements if they were needed and hope they actually came. But the first casualty of this patrol had been her confidence in her commanding officer.

The Aindo system itself was unremarkable, with three gas-giant planets, two of which had the unusual habit of revolving around each other in a binary orbit as they circled their star. A few independent freighters passed this way and that, stopping on regular routes at automated mining operations on asteroids or in the upper atmosphere of one planet or another. Aindo was only of interest, really, because it happened to be just adjacent enough to the trade route between Regulus and Bolarus to be of military value. After all, were it to fall into enemy hands it could be used as a staging area, or a fixed installation could be put in place, or perhaps worst of all, its limited resources could flow in the enemy's direction instead. It was an extremely unlikely target for the Klingons, in other words, but still, anything was possible.

"Impulse power, helm," Corlett directed as he sat in the command chair. He looked over his shoulder. "Commence sensor sweep of the system, Mr. Sagittori."

Sagittori nodded. "Commencing sensor sweep."

The shape of the golden-red gas giant that was the furthest planet of the system partially obstructed the Aindo star's natural light on the viewscreen, light which cast the blue shades of the two planets in the distance into stark relief. Tw'eak noted as she took her station that Lieutenant Raxx was actually at his science console for once, no doubt observing those two planets as they rotated around each other in orbit. The calm presence of Lieutenant V'Sar at operations had nearly obscured Raxx from Tw'eak's view.

As Tw'eak looked backwards, she saw V'Sar's eyebrow dart upwards. "I am receiving a distress signal, Captain."

"Origin?"

V'Sar pressed a few buttons. "Within this star system, twenty-one parsecs from our bearing 321."

Tw'eak stood up and walked over to V'Sar's console, not so much out of doubt as out of concern. "That's some coincidence, - a distress signal that close, just as we arrived."

"Indeed. It appears to be an automated distress beacon, although the transmission itself is being broadcast at a far lower power than is typical."

"Could it be an older beacon, perhaps?" the captain inquired.

Tw'eak shook her head. "Standard operational practice is to deactivate transmitting distress beacons once rescue or retrieval is completed."

"Perhaps it turned itself back on," Corlett mused.

"Or someone else did," Koepka offered.

"It's an ambush." Sagittori sounded positively excited at the prospect. He looked at Tw'eak. "We should be ready."

"Shall I reduce our speed?" Koepka asked from the helm, her face drawn.

"No, continue into the system," Corlett replied.

"Change your course a bit, Ensign - three-oh-five mark zero. Elliptical course towards the signal, but take us around the planets - not through." Tw'eak looked at Koepka, then to V'Sar. "Whatever's on the far side, we'll be able to get a better look at it once they're not in our way."

"And we won't get bounced if another ship is hiding in their atmosphere someplace," Sagittori added. Tw'eak nodded, glad someone understood her caution. Flying blindly between two massive sensor-obscuring planets meant recklessly inviting the ambush.

V'Sar spoke up. "I will transfer more power to the sensors, for the time being."

"Recommend we go to yellow alert, Captain," Tw'eak said.

"Yellow alert," Corlett affirmed with a nod.

The lighting on the bridge dimmed slightly to a near-incandescent effect, and the operations console signified a yellow alert - shields up, weapons at hot standby, defense fields active, structural integrity reinforced, damage control and medical teams moving to 'ready' positions. Tw'eak glared into the viewscreen, wishing she could nudge the twin planets aside and peek behind.

"Sensors indicate no obvious atmospheric disturbances consistent with a vessel concealed within," V'Sar noted.

"What if they're cloaked?" Koepka asked.

"A cloaked starship would produce the same impulse emissions and thus create an identical atmospheric disturbance to an uncloaked vessel." V'Sar's voice betrayed none of the annoyance that Tw'eak would have responded with.

"Besides," Tw'eak noted, "if they're cloaked, they're already hiding. They might be behind the planet, relative to our position, or in between them, but they don't need to get into the planet's atmosphere to conceal themselves."

"If they're cloaked," Sagittori stated, "we won't see them until they've got us."

"As the commander implied," V'Sar said, trading glances with Sagittori.

"Yeah," Tw'eak replied. "But if, as you suggest, this is an ambush... then they already have us, don't they."

"I don't follow, ma'am."

"Think about it, Lieutenant. Suppose this is a rogue beacon, as the captain suggests. We go turn it off, report it to Starfleet... end of conversation. But we've seen the beacon. They know our systems will automatically flag that signal, meaning we'll have to alter course in order to check it out. Once that happens, we investigate their source - even the weak ones - in order to report to Starfleet. It's a predictable pattern of behaviour for any starship. It yields them all the advantages."

"So they know we're here. Otherwise, they wouldn't activate the beacon."

"Exactly. We should raise Starfleet immediately and report that we've discovered the signal."

V'Sar looked at Tw'eak. "They may be monitoring our transmissions."

Tw'eak smiled, with a gratified little nod. "I'm counting on it."

"What's your plan, Commander?" Corlett asked.

"If they're listening in, they'll hear us say it's out of the ordinary, but that we can handle it. Which means Starfleet shouldn't expect us to ask for reinforcements."

"Then let's not say we can handle it," Sagittori said quickly.

"No, I think we should." Tw'eak peered into the darkness of the viewscreen. "If we treat this as suspicious, and call for reinforcements prematurely, maybe they don't attack. Ships in ambush rarely think they're strong enough to handle us in a direct fight - that's why they rely on a surprise attack."

"That's okay," Koepka replied, "they can pick on someone else."

"That someone might be a freighter, or a passenger ship. And those kinds of ships wouldn't stand a chance." Tw'eak watched Koepka shrink into her seat, but ignored it. "If there's someone out there, using a beacon as a lure... we've got to find out who, and put an end to it."

"So we should go to red alert," Sagittori inferred.

"Not yet - I would bet it's a smaller ship, like a Bird of Prey. Maybe a flight of them. They're tracking our shield status and power levels, waiting for the right moment to strike. If we show our teeth too soon, they know we're on to them - and they stay concealed."

"If there really is a freighter in distress out there," Koepka offered, "going in with phasers ready is only going to panic them. Trust me, I know - I grew up on freighters, and the last thing you'd ever want to see on passive sensors is an armed-up starship, for any reason."

"Even a friendly one?" Sagittori asked.

"Especially a friendly one," Koepka replied. "After all, even if they're not shooting at you, whatever they're shooting at can use you for cover - or as hostages."

Tw'eak nodded. "So we need to do this properly."

"The target could outmatch us," Sagittori considered, "or outnumber us."

"Nothing we can do about that," Tw'eak replied. "But I don't think so. Two, maybe three Birds of Prey, possibly a battlecruiser. If they're that much stronger, they don't need the beacon - they can ambush and destroy whatever target of opportunity they choose, including us."

"So they're using it as a lure?" Corlett asked, as if just realizing what was under discussion.

Tw'eak tried to keep herself from being annoyed by Corlett's late up-take of the tactical situation. "That'd be my guess."

Sagittori sighed. "But it could be an actual beacon. An actual freighter."

"Only one way to know for sure." Tw'eak gestured to the forward viewscreen. "And we're headed that way now."

V'Sar's console beeped. "Planetary interference dissipating. Sensors show..."

"It's a freighter," Koepka said, cutting in. "_Tuffli_-class. Just like the one I grew up on." She looked up from her screen. "And it's hurt." Koepka's tone sounded as though she were speaking of a limping puppy.

"Slow to half-impulse," Corlett ordered.

"Recommend we go to red alert," Sagittori said.

"Not yet," the captain replied.

"But whatever attacked that freighter is probably still in the system. It's an ambush, I can feel it."

"V'Sar, scan for evidence of recent weapons fire. Let's see how old that damage is." Tw'eak looked over her shoulder at Lieutenant Raxx. "Anything to contribute, Lieutenant?"

Raxx gave Tw'eak a look that could be interpreted as a sneer, were the sneer not his resting facial expression. "When you're all done playing pretend, I'd love to get a full sensor scan of-"

"Who's pretending?" Sagittori snapped. "This is happening - to you, too."

Raxx merely closed his eyes, then continued where he left off. "Of the gravitational field between those two planets." His eyes open, intent on Tw'eak. "Last meaningful scan data from this system was taken from outside the system, years and years ago. I want to get some new readings and compare." The corners of his mouth turned into a sort of snarl as he added, "first chance you get. No rush."

Sagittori shook his head fiercely. "I'll see what we can do," Tw'eak replied dryly, before returning her focus to the viewscreen. Sagittori was still glaring at Raxx, so Tw'eak added, "For now, direct all active sensor scans at that freighter. Let's see what we can find out. But stay alert."

"Make sure you look for survivors," Koepka offered.

"I know, Bree," Sagittori muttered.

* * *

A few tense moments passed, each of the officers overseeing their tasks, before V'Sar broke the silence. "No signs of life on the freighter."

"Or cargo," Sagittori added. "The holds are empty."

Tw'eak's head came up quickly. "V'Sar?"

"Confirmed. The main holds appear to have been configured for transport of quantities of mined resource, but are now empty. Traces of magnesite and duranium."

"They could've blown out," Koepka suggested. "Open to space."

"That does not appear to be the case," V'Sar replied, pointing Tw'eak's attention to the console. "The residual quantities present are inconsistent with decompression."

"Those holds would be airless anyway," Sagittori ventured. "Wouldn't they?"

"Certain types of mined resources are known to produce vapour when stored in a hold," V'Sar replied. "Magnesite and duranium do not produce vapours. The trace quantities are present in solid form."

"Either way, that pretty much confirms it," Sagittori said with a vigorous nod. "This is probably a trap."

V'Sar gave the Vulcan equivalent of a shrug, inclining her head. "The odds of such are increasingly likely."

"Then we should go to red alert." Sagittori's enthusiasm for potential combat irritated Tw'eak. His keenness betrayed his limited experience of such.

"I'll make that determination, Lieutenant," Captain Corlett declared sharply. "Remain at yellow alert."

Tw'eak couldn't help but lean back towards Raxx. "First chance we get," she said, intentionally mimicking the science officer's own words. Raxx merely made a huffing noise, continuing to work in isolation with the sensor data he had.

Tw'eak turned back towards the bridge, surprised to see Corlett looking up at her, having turned his command chair to face her, expectantly. "What's the most likely scenario, then?"

"They're under cloak," Tw'eak mused. "So they'll want to maximize their advantages..." She snapped her fingers and looked up. "V'Sar, have Shuttlebay One prepped for launch."

"Shuttlebay One...?" Sagittori wondered aloud. "What good will a shuttle be in an ambush?"

"If you're laying an ambush like this, do you make remote de-activation of the sensor buoy possible? Think about it."

Sagittori caught on quickly. "They'll wait for us to beam an away team over, and drop our shields..."

"Exactly."

Koepka looked backwards towards Tw'eak. "But can we launch a shuttle through with our shields up?"

"The shuttle shielding matrix will need to be precisely tuned," V'Sar stated, "in order to match our shielding frequency exactly."

"Exactly," Tw'eak repeated, then corrected herself. "We can." She tapped her commbadge. "Sh'abbas to engineering."

"Engineering," a bright female voice replied. "Rau here."

"Lieutenant, can you spare someone to look after a subspace distress beacon for me?"

"Sure. I can spare me."

"Great. Meet me in Shuttlebay One. Grab an EV suit."

"Fun. Rau out."

Tw'eak nodded, then looked back to Corlett. "I'll take Rau and someone from security-"

"What about me?" Sagittori sounded almost hurt.

"I need you here - if they spring the trap, you'll need to take them down - or run for it, whatever the odds suggest."

"We're just one ship, though..."

Tw'eak smiled. "Nonsense. There will be two ships in a minute."

Sagittori looked at Tw'eak, confused.

"If we can spare Ensign Koepka, Captain."

Corlett looked at Tw'eak, then at Koepka. "I don't see how I can spare my helm officer, if I can't spare my tactical officer."

"I understand that, but her knowledge of the layout of a _Tuffli_-class freighter isn't something I can go without, either. Plus, it's been a while since I piloted a shuttle."

"Oh, I love shuttles," Koepka said, almost swooning, her eyes intent on the freighter's bulk.

Corlett grimaced. "Alright. Bring us to a full stop, before you go."

Koepka excitedly tapped her fingers along the helm panel. "All stop, aye." She stood up and moved aside as another officer, Ensign Yekrah, appeared as if on cue to resume at the helm. She moved to Tw'eak's side, practically resonating with glee.

"Alright. Be ready for anything." Tw'eak stepped into the turbolift with Koepka. "Shuttlebay One."

As the doors swooshed shut, the last glimpse Tw'eak had was of Captain Corlett turning his chair back forward, Sagittori gazing anxiously at Koepka, and V'Sar with her head down at her console. Tw'eak had something more than her usual feeling of trepidation, concern for her ship and its crew. It was rather that her concerns about the crew led her to trepidation about what would happen to their ship if their adversaries sprung an ambush in her absence. She knew she could handle anything. Whether the rest of the crew of the starship _Repulse_ could handle this remained to be seen.


	4. Chapter 4

The _Steamrunner_-class starship had more than a few design quirks, consequences of building an optimal Warp 9-capable vessel while using as minimal an interior volume as possible. The design made a few major compromises as a result - its warp nacelles being adjoined to the saucer section, for one; the main deflector housing suspended between their aft ends, for another. Then there was the fact that the main hull was of a single piece, less a saucer-and-stardrive than a single housing with all warp core components (and their fuels and coolants) right alongside the crew quarters, recreational facilities and sickbay. This wasn't all that unusual a paradigm for Starfleet to follow - not every class of starship was built with the graceful lines of the cruiser classes like _Excelsior_ and _Galaxy_. Sometimes, a starship could be a bit less aesthetically pleasing while still serving a greater purpose to the fleet. Witness the centuries of success with the _Miranda_-class design, and the more recent introduction of the _Defiant_ or _Saber_ classes. Still, there was something peculiar about the _Steamrunner_. It felt to Tw'eak as though _Repulse_ had been purpose-built to trigger some serious claustrophobia.

Nowhere did this feel more the case than with the main shuttlebay. Under different design parameters, the _Steamrunner_ might have made for a functional through-deck carrier. That possibility was denied by the necessities of housing both the warp core (and in consequence, the fuel storage) along the ship's center-line. Main engineering, which was placed directly forward of the shuttlebay, took up a lot of internal space - giving the _Repulse_'s shuttlebay an unusually high ceiling, and a flatter, shallower flight deck in consequence. The resutant combination was unnerving to Tw'eak's eyes - and, she imagined, to any pilot who was making an emergency landing. Sure, the opening was broad, easy to aim for and land within, but without a tractor beam, or a hard-burn deceleration just before entry, the odds of a shuttle punching through the bulkhead into main engineering were greater than zero - an unacceptably high number to Tw'eak's mind.

It certainly didn't help that Tw'eak hated being inside of shuttlebays. Aside from the safety factors, any space that wide open just felt uncomfortable. As the turbolift opened, Tw'eak and Ensign Brienne Koepka came out to find the flight deck officer, a female Caitian named Lieutenant M'Rann, checking over a Type VIII shuttlecraft with a tricorder. "We're all set, ma'am," the Caitian lieutenant said as Tw'eak approached. "I was just checking the seals on the ventral docking latch. You've got a good pilot, so that'll help."

Koepka blushed, and Tw'eak gave the ensign a smile. "So I've heard." As she turned back towards the shuttle, Tw'eak remembered well her disdain for boarding operations. As tactical officer of the USS _Nelson_, overseeing the occasional interview with a freighter's crew were often better done in person - with a telepathic officer alongside, wherever possible. Still, boarding an empty freighter, one devoid of both crew and cargo, was a new one for her.

"I've pre-programmed the shuttle's shielding matrix to be tied to monitored frequencies - you should have no problem coming and going, just be sure you calibrate the shield nutation precisely, both on departure and on the return approach."

"Don't worry, Lieutenant," Tw'eak said, indicating Koepka. "I'm sure Ensign Koepka knows exactly what she's doing."

Koepka smiled, then registered surprise as the turbolift doors opened once more, admitting Lieutenant Dyralxia Rau and a security officer, Lieutenant Darren Baird, to the shuttlebay. "Oh, God," Koepka said quickly at the sight of them.

Before she had a chance to ask what the ensign had meant by this outburst, Baird came over and handed Tw'eak a phaser rifle - given his considerable bulk and height advantages, more like handed the phaser down to her. "Ma'am," he said tersely.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Tw'eak noted that Lieutenant Rau was armed with a hand phaser, and carried a kit of engineering tools. "We'll need EV suits."

"Good call," Rau noted. "I don't get a sense that anyone is over there, telepathically."

"The sensors seem to be in agreement. How long do you think you'll need to de-activate the beacon?"

"Shouldn't take me long." Rau tapped the kit over her shoulder. "A beacon that old? I'm more surprised that it's still got power."

Tw'eak gestured towards the shuttle. "That's the thing - we're pretty sure it's being used as bait for an ambush."

Rau began to move towards the shuttle, then froze. "An ambush. So - so we know this and we're going anyway?"

"It's not as simple as that," Tw'eak replied. "It's also why we're not just beaming over. There are any number of outcomes that could occur. For now, we're proceeding on the basis of what's in front of us. We take the shuttle, turn off the beacon and check the freighter's computer core for logs or other information. If nothing else happens, then we head home."

"I hope it's that simple," Rau refuted, intentionally echoing Tw'eak's words and tone.

"Don't we all," Tw'eak said flatly.

"What's the threat assessment?" Baird asked.

"Well, the good news..." Tw'eak stepped towards the shuttle, once again gesturing for her team to join her aboard. They all began moving and, within a few moments, had taken their seats aboard while Tw'eak explained. "The good news is that we're not likely to find ourselves assimilated as a result of this mission. That being said - Klingons would be the likely adversary, given the war, but don't discount the Tal Shiar or even splinter groups of Reman resistance fighters."

Rau grimaced as the shuttle's aft bay door lifted and closed. "Remans can use telepathy, launch a psionic assault," the Betazoid lieutenant inferred. "Last thing I want is to have to fight with those guys in my brain."

"Seems highly unlikely - but yes. There are a lot of unknowns. We should be able to deal with most of them. Lieutenant Sagittori will be monitoring our progress, and he and Commander V'Sar will handle anything beyond the freighter. They'll be in touch should anything come up."

From the pilot's seat, Ensign Koepka's hands ran fluidly over the flight console. "All flight systems nominal," she noted.

Tw'eak moved into the forward compartment and sat at the secondary console. "Signal Shuttlebay Control and the bridge that we're ready."

"Done," Koepka replied. Her console beeped approvingly, and she added. "We're clear to launch."

"We ready?" Tw'eak asked, getting nods from Rau and Baird. "Then let's do this."

* * *

Several minutes later, the shuttle was inching into position above an overhead hatch on the freighter's uppermost deck. Tw'eak, Baird and Rau were in their EV suits, while Koepka had yet to put hers on, still working the controls.

"We've got soft seal," Koepka noted. "Docking hatch secure."

"Well done, Ensign," Tw'eak affirmed.

"I'm kind of excited," Koepka said as she stepped away from the helm. Baird handed her the EV suit, and she began putting it on. "I haven't been on a freighter in... feels like years."

"I don't understand," Rau replied. "I've worked with lots of starships before, and these freighters just seem so... boring."

"They are," Koepka replied as she took off her boots. "But I made a lot of happy memories on boring freighters like this."

"Does your family still have a freighter?" Tw'eak asked.

"We never really owned one, just a share. My parents were part of a freighter crew. Co-operative agreement - get it, haul it, get paid a share. Each family got a piece of the final amount. You mess up, it comes out of your share, that sort of thing." Koepka drew the EV suit up to her shoulders, carefully extending her legs into the boots as she did. "We were all pretty close-knit, right up until the drama started. Family stuff, you know. One person accusing another of this or that... next thing you knew, we were out, freighter sailed on, and it was over."

"What happened then?"

"My folks basically retired from the merchant service after that, took what they had from selling their share and went out to the Norpin colonies. They said I'd have a more stable life if I went into Starfleet service." Koepka pressed a few buttons in sequence on her EV suit's controls, along her arm, and the fabric tightened into place with a hiss. "I'm all set." She clipped her helmet into place.

"Were they right?" Baird asked

Koepka smiled. "Oh, it's way better. I don't miss freighters one bit."

"No?"

"We didn't have any shuttlecraft." Koepka's smile widened. "And we couldn't do faster than Warp 6. _Repulse_ is way faster. So much more fun to fly."

Tw'eak nodded and grinned. "Alright." She held her phaser rifle in hand, as did Baird. "You'll need a phaser, Ensign."

"Right." Koepka reached back to the aft compartment's weapons locker and, after opening its door with a sequence of button pressing, removed a standard-issue hand phaser.

Rau held her tricorder. "Looks like the beacon is on Deck Five, Section 12. We'll have to climb down a few decks."

"Baird, you take point. Koepka, Rau, stay with me - I'll cover the lieutenant."

"On point." Baird opened the hatch and sat down, then dropped his legs into the freighter's corridor below. In a flash, he had disappeared, choosing to drop straight down rather than use the ladder. "Clear," he whispered.

"You can speak up, Lieutenant," Koepka said with a laugh as she climbed down the ladder. "Nobody can hear you - there isn't any air."

Within minutes, without incident, they were on Deck Five, head lamps lighting the way. Despite the damage the freighter had incurred to its exterior, there was little evidence of it in most of the corridors, aside from the occasional blackened wall section showing signs of ancient plasma fires long since gone out, or wiring of one form or another cascading from breaks in the ceiling or bulkheads. Tw'eak looked up at the signage. "Section Eight." She pointed aftwards. "This way?"

Rau shook her head and pointed over Tw'eak's shoulder. "That way, then forward."

"Alright. Baird?"

Baird had already taken a few tentative steps forward, but now moved out in good order, back on point, phaser rifle at the ready. Koepka followed just behind, her eyes darting around. "They really didn't add much," she observed. "You can get a lot of customized stuff - some Bolian freighters like to hang tapestries and really make it pretty inside."

Tw'eak saw Baird's light shine on Koepka's suit helmet, and she visualized the big security officer's dirty look over the lack of noise discipline. "Sounds like a fire hazard to me," Rau replied.

"Oh, the Bolians don't use flammable materials in their tapestries. It's a sort of polymer. Really neat stuff - very colourful, too. This one - "

The deck shifted - suddenly, without warning. Each of the officers reacted quickly, leaning into the nearest bulkhead or, in Koepka's case, into Baird. Tw'eak pressed her commbadge. "Sh'abbas to _Repulse_ \- everything all right?"

"Nothing new, Commander," Sagittori's voice replied.

"The freighter just shifted slightly - any idea why?"

There was a moment of silence. "It appears our navigational deflector may have impelled the freighter," V'Sar's voice came in reply.

"I had the conn move right in close in case we had to beam you back," Sagittori advised. "Might be a little too close."

"Appreciated," Tw'eak replied, "but I'd rather avoid any further bumps. Back off to a reasonable distance, and let us know if anything comes up on sensors."

"Will do, _Repulse_ out."

Rau shook her head. "Scared the hell out of me."

"Me too," Koepka added. The quartet of officers stepped gently over a fallen chunk of the damaged freighter's bulkhead. "If he wants to get that close, I could've docked the ship to the freighter just as easily."

"He means well," Tw'eak declared. "That's what matters."

Tw'eak heard Koepka give a little snort.

"Ensign?"

"That's Jon all over for you. Means well, doesn't mean he'll do well."

"You'd know better than anyone," Rau said with a chuckle.

Despite the EV suit, Tw'eak could sense Koepka bristling. "Yeah, I suppose I would, wouldn't I."

"Section Ten," Tw'eak intoned. The away team continued to walk along.

"How about you, Lieutenant?" Tw'eak asked Rau. "Married?"

"Yeah, sort of. My husband's serving on the _Tallahassee_ now. You know how regulations are. I'm here, Vian's there, whole lotta space in between." She shook her head. "Probably better that way, actually."

"Lieutenant Vian?" Baird asked. "He's your husband?"

"Better or worse, yeah," Rau acknowledged.

Baird nodded appreciatively. "He was head of security when I served on the _Tallahassee_. Good guy."

Rau smiled. "Yeah. Have to admit, our relationship works a whole lot better as long-distance." She looked at Tw'eak. "Just the way it is. The boss gets it."

"Actually, I don't."

"You not married?"

Tw'eak shook her head. "No. Probably better that way, actually." Her reply intentionally re-used Rau's own words.

"Yeah." Rau snickered. "Wish I'd been smart enough to say the same."

Baird rounded a corner and stopped. He raised an arm, signalling for the others to come to a halt, then pointed to his left. "Beacon," he whispered.

Tw'eak came forward and looked around Baird. The beacon itself was placed upright in the centre of the corridor. If this wasn't a trap, it was awfully neatly placed amidst the wreckage of the vessel. Given that it blocked the passage forward, it made for limited angles - a perfect spot for an ambush. Tw'eak leaned back. "Rau, scan for life forms, for trip wires, active or passive sensor devices - anything that smells like an ambush."

Rau pulled her tricorder close to her EV suit, and went from one bandwidth into another, shaking her head as she did. "It's just a beacon. Active. Power cells almost depleted."

Tw'eak became even more anxious at this reply. "Nothing?"

"Nope. Give me a few more seconds and I can tell you where it was made."

"It's a Federation beacon," Baird advised the engineer.

"I know that. I mean that I can tell where it was made by the alloys they used."

Tw'eak shook her head. "There'll be time for that later. Just go shut it down. But Baird - go and clear it first." Tw'eak then tapped her commbadge. "Sh'abbas to _Repulse_. We are about to attempt to de-activate the beacon."

"Understood," Sagittori replied. "Let us know how it turns out."

Koepka laughed as the commbadge chirped to indicate deactivation. "Don't worry, we will."

Baird moved forward, his eyes taking in the scene as he stepped carefully over the hulk of the beacon, angling his legs to get around the edge of the bulkhead. "All clear, ma'am."

"There's nothing visibly different about this beacon than others in the library computer," Rau added.

"So why's it out here?" Koepka asked. "It's a jettison pod. You wouldn't leave it sitting in the main corridor like this. This is the freighter's crew deck. It'd take some effort - or a transporter - to put it here."

"This all fits as an ambush," Baird declared, before Tw'eak could reply. "Any second now, it'll come."

Tw'eak felt Koepka tense up next to her. "Rau?"

Rau had opened her engineering kit and procured a hyperspanner. "Won't take me two minutes, and we'll be on our way." She carefully turned the tool towards a panel on the outer surface. With three deft waves of the wand, a panel slunk against the frame. "Commander, would you mind?"

Tw'eak slung her rifle over her shoulder and reached in, lifting the panel. A sharp, short static discharge caught her right arm. "Yow," she gasped, without dropping the panel.

Rau's eyes widened in amazement. "How did you - I mean, how?"

"Oh," Tw'eak said with a shrug, looking over at Baird and Koepka, both equally shocked. "It's not the original." She took the panel in her right hand. "Bio-mechanical replacement."

Rau nodded. "That explains it. My tricorder read that surge just before it happened." She leaned in to the opened area of the beacon. "That was some lethal voltage you just shrugged off."

"Lethal voltage... that would've changed things," Tw'eak joked, her voice flat.

"No kidding," Koepka said as she finally began breathing normally again. "I'm rated as a field medic but I couldn't have done much. We would've had to beam you back to the ship."

Baird stepped forward to look more intently at Tw'eak's arm. The singe marks on her uniform sleeve were charred black. "How'd you get the new arm?"

"Made the mistake of underestimating a Romulan plasma pulsewave... ten years ago, I think? Not something I'm proud of." Tw'eak held up her blackened sleeve. "But I guess it came in handy." Her mouth's corners rose as she added, "no pun intended."

Rau put her head up from the beacon. "Can someone hand me the magnetic decoupler, please?"

"Just a second." Baird leaned back and looked into Rau's kit, then after a moment, gingerly tipped back the other way, holding out the whole kit to Rau.

Koepka put her hand between the two, and pulled out the decoupler, handing it to Baird. "Thanks," Rau said at the sight of it, not catching on. Baird nodded gratefully moments thereafter, putting the kit back down.

"_Repulse_ to Sh'abbas."

Tw'eak's eyebrows raised in alarm. "That's the captain's voice." She tapped her EV suit's commbadge. "Sh'abbas here, sir."

"We've come under attack," Corlett said. "At least four Romulan warbirds. Can't get a fix on how many - they outnumber us, though, that much is certain. We're withdrawing."

Tw'eak, Baird and Koepka stood up. "Orders for us, sir?"

"We'll get back to you if we can. For now, just..." There was an audible noise of an explosion. "Keep yourselves alive. Good luck, _Repulse_ out."

Tw'eak saw Koepka take a step backwards, as if staggered, while Baird's eyes stared intently down the corridor. "Just like that, huh," Rau snarked, speaking for all of them.


	5. Chapter 5

"Think of it this way - we'll all get whatever assignment we want after this."

Tw'eak grimaced at Lieutenant Dyralxia Rau's joke, then coupled it with one of her own. "But I just did."

The quartet of officers from the _Repulse_ \- security officer Lieutenant Darren Baird, shuttle pilot Ensign Brienne Koepka, engineer Rau, and Tw'eak, away team commander - had just been left behind as their starship engaged in a fight for its life. Tw'eak fought hard to control her emotions, especially with Rau present. Her inner warrior self raged at their captain's decision to fall back rather than hold the Romulans off until the shuttle could return. Yet the decision to stand and fight against - they said four warbirds, of no specified size or class - so her tactical training and her understanding of Romulan warbirds meant she could respect the decision to withdraw. The odds must surely be fearful. But withdraw to where?

Tw'eak caught Lieutenant Baird giving her a surprised look. "You mean you actually wanted this assignment?"

"I asked for a tactical ship, yes. I wanted my expertise to be useful, but... a challenge." Tw'eak closed one eye and scrunched up her face in a comical visage of frustration. "I guess I should've been more specific."

"You said it," Rau said with a laugh. "What a mess." She looked over at Koepka. "I think this is the first time the captain's actually seen combat."

"How would I know?" Koepka said, startled. "I've only been aboard for four months."

"Figured Sagittori would have something to say on the matter," Rau replied, her dark eyes keenly on Koepka's face.

Koepka turned to face Rau with a frown. "I broke it off with Jon weeks ago."

"Better off," Baird said. "It's against regs anyway,"

Tw'eak made a point of stepping away, as if peering down the corridor. Her EV suit showed 87% power, still plenty of time for them to be down here, but she needed a plan.

"Besides which," Rau pressed further, "it's not like anyone needs to push too hard to know what Sagittori thinks."

"Jon says a lot of things, yes," Koepka acknowledged. "Some of them are even true."

"Yeah. Shoulda heard what he had to say about you."

Tw'eak turned back towards her away team, keen to intervene before this conversation got out of hand. "The beacon."

Rau nodded her chin in its direction. "It's deactivated, if that's what you're asking."

"What did you discover about its construction?"

"Well, as far as I can tell, it's Federation. Looks to have been made on Bolarus. But there's something about the scan..."

"What is it?"

"Scorch marks - tiny ones, microscopic. Consistent with cosmic radiation."

Tw'eak nodded, but Baird filled in her thinking with his remarks. "So this could've been ejected by another freighter, and then placed aboard here, in the state it's in now?"

"Or this freighter," Rau affirmed. "But it was definitely in space for a while. It didn't just randomly end up here."

"Alright." Tw'eak nodded at Rau. "I want you and Baird to go back to the shuttle. Assuming worst-case scenario, if _Repulse_ doesn't come back, I need a best-case scenario if the four of us are going to be on our own. Rau, start looking at how long we're habitable, then scan this freighter and see if there's anything we can salvage. Baird, I want you to get a tactical outlook outside - those Romulans will be back soon enough. Avoid active scans if you can, just... stay alert. We lose that shuttle, and we can count the hours."

Rau and Baird nodded. "What about you, Commander?" Baird asked.

"And me?" Koepka added.

"You're coming with me - to the freighter's command deck."

"She's got a plan," Baird said, practically beaming. "Thank God."

Tw'eak's eyes darted about for a moment. "Actually, a few plans - we'll see which one comes good before long. But I could use someone with experience aboard a freighter to help me out up there. And no one goes anywhere alone until further notice." She looked at Baird. "Keep in touch. I want to know the moment anything or anyone shows up on the sensors."

"Got it." Baird and Rau turned to head off.

Rau turned back. "Good luck, boss." She looked from Tw'eak to Koepka. "You too, Cupcake."

Despite the EV suit's protection, Tw'eak could practically feel Koepka radiating with humiliation. She gave Rau a sideways glance - this sudden rancor for Koepka was an unexpected twist from an officer Tw'eak had otherwise considered pretty level-headed. She waited a moment, then headed off, Koepka a step behind. "It is this way, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Koepka muttered.

They walked on down the corridor, stepping over fallen bits of furniture and around loops of wire. "Left here?" Tw'eak asked. She knew the way - the map was imprinted on her EV suit's heads-up display. Behind her, Koepka nodded, unaware that such a gesture was pointless inside an EV suit, since her head couldn't be seen to nod.

"Can I ask you a question, ma'am?"

Tw'eak smirked. "Depends on the question."

"When... when you were younger. Junior grade, I mean. What was that like?"

"It was - you know, new challenge, different... hard to deal with sometimes," Tw'eak said, lying.

"Where did you get posted?"

"My first assignment was as a security officer aboard the _Enterprise_."

Koepka's voice brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah. Right out of the Academy."

"Who was in command?"

"Jean-Luc Picard. Not for very long - but then, I mean, neither was I. They needed a tactical officer aboard the _Nelson_, which was newly built then, and was also _Sovereign_-class. Captain Picard was impressed with my work in tactical, so he put my name forward for the position, and I was promoted to lieutenant, junior grade. Served onboard _Nelson_ ever since, and was starting to think I'd be there for my whole career - until this posting came up."

"And now you're stuck on a dead freighter, with me."

"Could be worse," Tw'eak chided as she climbed over a partially-collapsed bulkhead.

Koepka stopped to stare at the mangled wreckage for a moment before continuing to follow Tw'eak. "Can't see how. This... seeing these corridors like this, it's like my worst nightmare."

"Yeah, I would imagine." Tw'eak shook her head. "It's not much easier for me. Something about a starship in distress just... it's unnatural. Traumatizing." She reached the end of the corridor, standing before a ladder. "Up here, right?"

"Yeah, up two decks, and forward."

Tw'eak began climbing. "So this is just like home for you."

"Not exactly," Koepka said softly. "We never took damage this bad."

Tw'eak climbed past one deck floor and continued onwards, reaching the next, the door to the access hatch lying open. Her suit sensors registered no heat signatures or movement, so she climbed out without a precautionary sensor scan, holding her phaser rifle before her just the same. "What about it, Ensign?"

Koepka stepped onto the deck. "Sorry?"

"The one you grew up on. What was her name?"

"Oh, the _Starward Bounty_." Koepka stuck an arm out to the right. "Command deck should be just around that way." Tw'eak indicated a forward direction, towards the right. "That way, yeah."

Tw'eak pulled herself up onto the deck, then sat at its edge as Koepka came up the ladder. "How did you like it?"

"Like what?" Koepka said as she sat down across from Tw'eak, legs dangling over the edge they had just climbed.

"Seems like a pretty hard place to grow up."

"Yeah. It was just so boring, in between ports - then you'd get to port, and you weren't allowed to go anywhere unless you were with an adult, or in groups. And I didn't really like the other kids - and none of us ever really got to see how the operations worked on these decks, but... by the time I was twelve, I knew most of the systems on this ship like the back of my hand. Eventually I took a like to trying to pilot training. I was the only fourteen-year-old rated as both a pilot and navigator in pretty much the whole Federation."

"That's pretty impressive."

"Yeah, but when it's a freighter you're bossing around, it just doesn't have the same feeling to it. You're either going in a straight line, Warp 5 max, or altering your course so - all on the clock, gotta save ten minutes here or there any way we can or we lose part of the share. And then docking, once you get to port - they don't let you do anything manual, it's all tractor beams and moorings before you're a parsec out, these days. But that was before we got around to fighting another war. It's not safe out here anymore for freighters like this one."

They reached the command deck doors, which were closed. Tw'eak looked at Koepka, a bit surprised. "Locked out."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Koepka replied casually. "Hang on." She walked a few paces to an access panel, then below it, opened a hatchway leading to a rather narrow crawlspace, a Jeffries tube.

Tw'eak's communicator chirped to life. "Rau to Sh'abbas."

"Go ahead, Lieutenant."

"Lieutenant Baird and I have a report."

"Let's hear it."

Baird went first. "We've powered down and we're sticking with passive sensors. My initial scan didn't read anything out there."

"At all?"

"Nothing on tactical, that is. I mean, there's a couple of planets and so on, background radiation, but no Romulans."

And no _Repulse_, Tw'eak thought to herself. "Any debris or signs of weapons fire?"

"Uh, a little, but just a little. Hard to tell on a limited scan whether it's ours, theirs or something else, but there are ionized plasma trails and a few other things. Should note that the freighter we're docked with is just a big piece of debris at this point. Nothing of value aboard."

"And its engines are completely useless," Rau added. "Some parts are fried, some parts are gone - probably salvaged at some point. Even if we wanted to get her underway to try to piggyback to a Federation starbase, there's barely enough fuel to start the warp core, let alone keep it in operation."

"Could we use a power transfer from the shuttle to start it up?"

"We could, but I don't know why we'd bother. The whole thing's dead weight."

Tw'eak nodded. "Recommendations?"

"We should definitely destroy the wreck, one way or another," Baird's voice suggested.

"I agree," Rau said. "No sense leaving the Romulans their bait."

Tw'eak nodded. "Alright. I'd rather not leave the wreck, but we've got to destroy the whole thing - their 'bait' would work a lot better in a debris field than an intact freighter."

"I'd agree with that," Baird said. "Especially if there are four warbirds working together."

"The shuttle's weapons... it could take a while to destroy the freighter." Tw'eak tapped her chin. "And it'll leave debris. Could we tow it into the gravity of one of those planets we passed on the way in?"

"If it holds together, yeah," Rau inferred. "I can't promise that the shearing forces of a tractor beam wouldn't break it up."

"Could we reinforce its structural integrity?"

"Again, we're better to use that power for ourselves, ma'am. We might be stuck here a while."

"Might be better to leave the wreck until _Repulse_ can come back and do the towing," Baird added.

Tw'eak considered it for a moment, as a loud clang and a hiss accompanied Ensign Koepka's releasing of the locking mechanism on the door to the command deck. It slid open, revealing her smiling face on the other side. Tw'eak gave her a nod, smiling in response, before continuing. "I'd rather we do that ourselves. I'd rather not use subspace radio in case they don't know we're still here. And we don't know when _Repulse_ will be back for us."

"If they make it," Koepka began, then stopped herself. Tw'eak gave her a carefully tempered glare of disapproval.

"Prep the shuttle for towing," she continued. "Once we get the freighter up to a certain speed, over distance, it'll carry itself in on its own inertia, hopefully right into the nearest star. Ensign Koepka and I will retrieve the ship's log and transponder ID before we return. Be ready to go once we're aboard."

"It'll take some doing, getting it around those two planets," Rau pointed out.

"If it burns up in atmosphere or coronasphere, it still burns up," Tw'eak replied. "All we need is gravity, the rest will sort itself out."

"I can calculate the best trajectory once we're back aboard," Koepka added. "Getting the freighter going is the hard part, inertia can take it in, but we'll need to get the angle right."

Another thought came to Tw'eak as she placed her phaser rifle on top of an inoperative command deck console. "Maybe we can then use the planetary gravitational fields to conceal our presence, try to hail _Repulse_ \- or Starfleet, if we need retrieval."

"Good idea," Baird's voice sounded appreciative of the idea. "A Lagrange point or something like it would work really well for that. We may want to make that subspace transmission before we hide, though."

"No point hiding, then yelling from our hiding spot - best to do it the other way around. Alright." Tw'eak nodded to Koepka, who headed into the command deck. "Let's do this. Sh'abbas out."

A few minutes passed, as Tw'eak attempted to use the command deck's emergency power source in order to get the log computer online. Koepka was handling the wiring end, while Tw'eak leaned over a console. "Try it now," the ensign said, leaning back.

"That... seems to have done something." The panel's lighting became dimly visible. Tw'eak tapped her commbadge. "Shuttlecraft, prepare for data transfer."

"Standing by," Rau intoned.

Tw'eak fixed the log computer output to the carrier signal emanating from the shuttle, then fine-tuned the data stream via her tricorder. "Data transfer coming in," Rau's voice acknowledged after a moment.

Carefully checking to see if her suit's communicator was muted, Tw'eak leaned over towards Koepka, who was watching the jerry-rigged wiring intently. "So, I get it."

"Get what?"

"Just for the record."

Tw'eak now fully had Koepka's attention. "Get what?" the ensign repeated.

"You don't want me to bring it up," Tw'eak said, still hinting. "I get it."

This got Koepka talking. "Because it was against regs? I know. I didn't really know anyone when I first was assigned here, and Jon was the only one of the senior officers who even treated me like I existed. I don't regret it, and I still care about him, that's not going to change."

Tw'eak winced. "Not that."

Koepka clammed up. "Not that," she parroted.

"No." Tw'eak smiled.

"Maybe you meant how I got through the door? The lock is just a simple pressure seal, you just have to know where to..." Koepka trailed off as she saw Tw'eak shaking her head. "Is this about the time I stole a shuttle on Starbase 621? I can explain that, too."

Tw'eak started with surprise. "What?" she blurted out, unable to suppress a laugh.

"I know that was in my file. Now that, I do regret. I was bored - we all were, and it was my idea, and I'm sorry." Koepka looked down at the floor plating, dejected. "I didn't expect you to ask about it, especially not here."

"That's because I wasn't," Tw'eak said with a laugh.

Koepka's eyes went wide with alarm.

"I meant your ...interaction, before, with Rau. 'Cupcake', I believe she called you?"

"Oh, _GOD_," Koepka exclaimed. She straightened up and stood almost at attention, her tone becoming sharp, formal. "I would prefer not to discuss a personal matter with a superior officer, ma'am." She hastened to add, "at the present time, it would be inappropriate."

"You've got that right. I won't pry any further. But if you ever want to discuss it, just come find me." Tw'eak leaned back over the transfer. Koepka began squirming where she stood, as though bugs had crawled into her EV suit. Clearly the open-ended question had led her to admit a few more things than she had intended. Tw'eak pondered whether that made such an approach less effective, or more effective, than she had intended.

"This transfer's sure taking its sweet time," Koepka said nervously after a moment.

Tw'eak checked the display. "Can we boost the power, maybe?"

"There's not much power I can draw upon to boost it. I barely got it online as it is."

"Let me call the shuttle." Tw'eak re-activated the open comm channel, and raised Rau. "Lieutenant - Can you feed a bit of power into the main computer?"

"We don't have an active connection," Rau replied. "We'd have to use a power transfer beam. Either that, or get out and look for a docking point. And even then, I wouldn't trust the EPS conduits on that ship worth a damn - whether by beam or by junction."

"Can you use the shuttle transporter to beam us a portable power cell, maybe? We can hook it up here. This will take hours otherwise."

"Sure. Give us a minute."

Tw'eak very deliberately made a point of pressing the commbadge switches in Koepka's sightline. "There. Just us again," she added for good measure.

"Is it... too late to - "

The air chimed with the sound of a transporter beam. Koepka nearly leapt aside in surprise. Tw'eak stepped over to the power transfer case and hooked the portable cell into the appropriate receptacle port. The lights on the deck flickered for a moment, and a cascade of sparks came from the far bulkhead. Tw'eak looked back at her console. "That's working now. Let me know if there's any feedback - last thing we want is for this power pack to blow."

"We've received the log," Rau's voice advised. "Ship is registered as the MCV _Skylark of Space_. I can cross-reference with Starfleet records and report its loss once we're back... someplace."

Tw'eak altered the suit communicator to raise Rau and reply, "Alright, we're on our way back. See you in a few minutes." She then once again set the communicator to 'local only', and looked at Koepka. "Shall we?"

"On the way back... would you mind if I explained?"

"Which part?" Tw'eak asked, intentionally avoiding the subject. "I want to hear about your grand-theft-shuttle adventures."

"About the..." Koepka stood bolt upright, clearly uncomfortable. "The 'Cupcake' thing." Her head hung. "It's... it's..."

Tw'eak reached out and squeezed Koepka's upper arm. "You're not obligated to tell me anything."

"No, but I want to. I'm so embarrassed by all of this. And I would much rather not have to tell you this, but... you're my superior, so I should be telling you."

Tw'eak's antennae angled in, suspicious. "Alright," she said, trying to keep the trepidation out of her voice. "If you're sure."

Koepka took a deep breath. "A lot of the guys onboard, they're... they're... really hard to deal with. Especially the ones who hang out with Rau. Most of the officers, they're nice, when they ask you something, they don't make you feel like... like..."

"Like what?" Tw'eak asked when Koepka trailed off for a moment.

Tears formed in Koepka's eyes, and she reached out to dab them, her finger dashing against the glass of her EV suit. "Oh, damn it," she swore, then laughed. "Can't believe I just did that."

Tw'eak shook her head. "Alright. This clearly isn't the time."

"But I really would feel a lot better if you knew."

"Yes, I realize that. I think I would feel better, too. However, we have to walk back to the shuttle and act like we didn't have a chance for anything but small talk along the way." She leaned forward a bit, mimicking a conspiratorial tone. "Besides which, we need to exercise mental discipline, if you catch my meaning."

Koepka thought for a moment, then nodded. "Oh yeah, the freakazoid."

"Betazoid." Tw'eak leaned back, unimpressed, and crossed her arms.

"Sorry. Just... just a nickname. Jon and I used to call her that - it used to freak us out, how she could get in people's heads without even really trying."

Tw'eak shook her head. So far she had counted harassment, departmental factionalism, and relations between senior and junior ranks among the issues Koepka had raised, but a non-consensual use of telepathy was an order of magnitude greater in its wrongness - at least, potentially. And that was before she factored in the possibility that Koepka was embellishing, or outright lying about, the story she had to tell. "Look, just seal whatever bulkheads you can up there," she said, pointing to Koepka's head, "until we're back aboard _Repulse_, and I'll find the time to deal with this. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Koepka then quickly added, "I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright. My rank, my responsibility. I'll make time for this, as soon as possible." She wrinkled her nose, worried she sounded too forthright. "When the time is right, we'll talk," she corrected.

"Alright. Thank you, ma'am." Something in Koepka's eyes registered a sense of relief for Tw'eak - or maybe that was her physical form casting a less constricted, stressed presence into her bio-electrical field. Or maybe it was just what Tw'eak wanted to perceive, but Koepka seemed visibly more at ease.

Tw'eak picked up her phaser rifle and pointed it to the command deck's exit. "Let's go."


	6. Chapter 6

As Tw'eak and Ensign Koepka returned to the shuttle's interior via the hatch in the floor, Tw'eak overheard Lieutenant Baird say to Lieutenant Rau, "I really think you should tell her."

"Tell me what?" Tw'eak said as she emerged from the hatch, handing her phaser rifle to Lieutenant Baird for stowage.

Baird looked to Rau, who sat at the forward console. Rau didn't say anything.

"As far as 'phrases I never want to hear when entering a shuttlecraft' go, that one's pretty high up the list."

Ensign Koepka pulled herself upwards, putting her hand phaser in Lieutenant Baird's grasp as she did. "What's going on?" she mumbled.

"The lieutenant thinks she hears voices," Baird said gently.

"Not voices," Rau said sharply. "Damn it, Darren."

Tw'eak began removing her EV suit as the suit hatch closed, and Baird placed the carpeted piece of flooring back in its proper configuration. "Voices?" she asked.

"I can sense the presence of other minds in the system," Rau finally volunteered, reluctantly. "Someone's out there."

"Is it _Repulse_?"

"No, it's someone else - and I can't be precise about where. They're too far off, and they come and go."

"What kinds of minds?" Koepka asked, chuckling to herself. "That rhymed."

"Yeah," Baird said, smiling.

This didn't help the Betazoid lieutenant's state of mind in the slightest. She glared at Koepka, practically breathing fire as she uttered a one-word response. "Romulan."

Tw'eak narrowed her eyes, releasing the clasp she was working on as she did. "Are you sure?"

"No. I can only tell you what I heard - they're dealing with fixing something while remaining under cloak. It's giving someone a major headache, that's all I know."

"I don't suppose you can give me an idea of what kind of warbird we're dealing with," Tw'eak inquired. "Warbirds come in different sizes."

"With different kinds of people in charge," Baird added. "If it's a Republic ship, or one from the Reman Resistance..."

Rau gave Baird a dirty look. "I can tell the difference between the two, Darren." She then met Tw'eak's anxious gaze. "If I had to guess I'd expect it's a bigger one."

"Any chatter in the thoughts you're hearing happen to be about _Repulse_?"

"No," Rau said, shaking her head. "It's all about this issue they're having. One of their nullifier cores keeps dropping out of alignment."

"What does that mean?" Koepka asked.

"It's a major component of a standard Romulan warp engine," Rau explained. "There's always more than one of them, and they gotta be perfectly aligned, or it could cause their artificial quantum singularity power source to show through the cloak."

"We'd see an occasional magnetic distortion whenever the ship was moving," Tw'eak added, "and be able to track their movement. Every Romulan commander's worst nightmare."

Rau nodded. "They're not sure if they can safely repair it without dropping their cloak to do it. And they're totally panicking about it."

"Are they saying anything about our ship, though?" Koepka asked, her voice anxious. "Have they been destroyed?"

"No proof of that - even without being telepathic, I can tell you that," Baird responded. He moved to stand by Rau. "Nothing on passive sensors that's consistent with a starship being destroyed anywhere in the system. I'm not even reading much in terms of energy weapon residue."

"Show me," Tw'eak said as she finally shed her EV suit. She came forward to where Baird stood over the operations console, examining his work. Sure enough, there were trace plasma and tachyon emissions running in a straight line past the twin planets beyond, but not much else. "You're right. There are particle traces, but nothing substantial enough to get worried about."

"That's the other thing," Baird said. "When I switched over to look for ion residue, I'm only reading three discernible trails."

"Not enough to be _Repulse_ with four warbirds chasing, you mean."

"Exactly." Baird tapped the console and it dutifully overlaid the ion trails. "Unless two different warbirds trailed two leading warbirds exactly - and even then, no trails are stronger or weaker, they're all probbaly just one ship. Thankfully, there were negligible emissions from this freighter or else I would've lost the streams as they dissipated."

Tw'eak knew she had to be careful here. Doing as the captain might, leaning back and reflecting at length on who did what and where, would be pointless. And openly griping about the captain, among other things aboard the starship _Repulse_, would make her look to be taking sides, and possibly play into the hands of whatever agendas Rau, Baird and Koepka might secretly have. Providing grist for the rumour mill was always a bad look, but coming from their new executive officer... it was not a game she wanted to play. "Good work, Lieutenant." Tw'eak looked to Rau. "Both of you. We're ready to take the freighter in tow?"

"We are," Rau acknowledged, "but I gotta caution you, this probably won't be something we can sustain."

"Doesn't have to be long." As Koepka came forward into the pilot's seat, Tw'eak tapped her on the shoulder. "How quickly can we generate enough thrust with that freighter under tow, in order to send it on its way?"

"If I take a run at it, at full impulse, I can minimize the time - and the inertial dampeners will handle most of it. I'll have to undock, loop around to pick up some speed, then once the beam is engaged, it'll take, I'd say forty seconds at full burn."

Tw'eak looked to Baird. "You'll handle locking on with the tractor beam."

"Going by at full impulse?" Baird looked skeptical. "I'll need to get a lock before we hit full throttle - and I'll need to boost the tractor beam with auxiliary power."

"Do it." Tw'eak's eyes turned to Rau. "Can we extend our shields for that period of time, enough for the whole freighter?"

Rau pondered for a moment, then looked to Baird. "I'll have to overcharge the ventral shield emitters."

"I can help you angle the navigational deflector to compensate," the security lieutenant suggested.

Rau looked surprised. "That's... good idea."

"Thanks. Was my first assignment, Deflector Control." Baird nodded. "And to think, I transferred OUT of there to Security because it was boring. Now Security's boring, and I'm out here working with deflector controls again."

"It's the curse of being a good officer," Tw'eak said. "You start out wanting to do one thing, eventually... you're handling everything."

"Only way to make sure it's done right," Koepka quoted. "Do it yourself. My dad used to say that all the time."

"He wasn't wrong," Baird replied.

Tw'eak nodded. "Once we're ready, and the freighter's safely on its way, we'll go back to minimal power and try to follow _Repulse_'s trail, see if they made it."

"Should we try and raise Starfleet Command?" Baird asked.

"Not yet. Even without the lieutenant sensing a presence here to reinforce my suspicion, I'd still want our energy signature masked, best as possible, until we're well on our way, and then we'll send out over subspace. It wouldn't take much for even a smaller warbird to end us - or worse, capture us." Tw'eak's upper lip twitched at the prospect of being a guest of the Tal Shiar - and the various types of torture in their standard interrogation procedure which were their idea of hospitality.

"So that's the deflector angled," Rau noted. "And I gave Darren all the auxiliary power I could for that tractor beam. We'll need the impulse engines cranked right up to get the force we need to budge that freighter."

Tw'eak nodded. "And we'll need to take an evasive course away from the freighter's heading for a couple of minutes after we've sent it on its way."

"Already laid in," Koepka affirmed. "Don't worry, I've got this."

"I'll raise and extend the shields the moment she's got us on the spot," Rau said, indicating Koepka. "But I'm ready as I'll ever be."

"Same," Koepka added. "You'll both want to be sitting down - the shearing force is going to be rough until we're up to speed."

Tw'eak ushered Baird to the seats in the aft compartment. "Let's strap in."

"Definitely.," Baird replied. He looked to Rau. "You'll have to activate the tractor beam."

"I put it on the same trigger. Shields will extend half a second after the tractor beam goes on. Works well that way - I can reinforce structural integrity of the freighter, and use the shields to hold it all together if it breaks up." Rau wrinkled her nose. "Not that I wanna be using our shield energy to haul debris, just saying, we could."

Tw'eak buckled herself in, then looked at Baird, who raised a thumbs-up. "Alright, Ensign, take us out."

The shuttle unlatched from the freighter without incident, then began to move away in a curving path, over the freighter's aft section, then out into space. Slowly, Koepka opened the throttle, and the impulse engine roared to life. "We're at full impulse now," she noted. "Returning to the freighter."

"Tractor beam," Rau said. "Now."

The shuttle bucked under the force of inertia. Tw'eak felt the small craft being tossed forward and back while contending with the hauled freighter's mass, and she bucked from side to side within the safe envelope of the seatbelt as the inertia affected her. "Freighter is moving!" Koepka called out.

Baird unbuckled and pulled himself forward to check over Rau's shoulder. "Modifying shields," Rau confirmed. Seconds afterwards, the rumbling of the shuttle came to a stop. "Tying in the structural integrity boost... Shields are holding. I don't believe it."

"Awesome!" Koepka observed.

Tw'eak stood up and moved forwards, the two planets clearly growing in size in the forward viewport. "Well done, everyone." She met Rau's appreciative glance with a smile. "Now it's just a matter of letting go."

"Can't wait," Rau replied.

"I've calculated the required acceleration to the microsecond," Koepka noted. "Computer is programmed to release the tractor beam, and lower the shields, in eighty-six seconds."

"The moment it does, I'll start cutting power," Rau added, "in order to mask our signature."

Koepka nodded. "And I'll alter our course - gently, so we can use as much of our remaining thrust as possible before we use thrusters to carry us the rest of the way across to safety."

"We should be completely masked from sensors within a few seconds of cutting loose."

"What about heat signatures?" Baird asked, anticipating Tw'eak's question.

"They'll dissipate pretty quickly once the impulse engine shuts down," Koepka observed. "And it will be shut all the way down, so even the impulse manifolds will cool off. We should be practically invisible to everything but the most determined scan." The ensign looked at her chronometer. "Seventy seconds, now."

"Alright." Tw'eak came forward and leaned in beside Rau, tapping together a data transmission - the shuttle's location, the freighter's logs and information, the current unknown status of Repulse - and configured the subspace transmitter to omni-directional. It took a moment for the encryption program to configure, then complete, the required security for the data packet. "All done. Sending our data now."

There was a slight flutter in the ship's forward progress. "Bit of power loss there in the shields," Rau noted. "That's how close we're cutting it, boss - I don't even have any auxiliary power for comms."

"That's alright," Tw'eak said. "Whoever gets the data - once it's decrypted, they'll know everything we do."

"Hope it works," Baird added.

A momentary impulse of concern fluttered through Tw'eak. Would this even work? She envisioned the shuttle peacefully gliding behind the freighter, towards the planets ahead, the sole witness to its slow, burning tumble through the atmosphere of either one once it came close enough for gravity to reel it in. She also pictured the shuttle tumbling in, rather than the freighter. And then there was the matter of the Romulans out there - now they knew, assuming they could break the encryption (as Tw'eak presumed they would). Only the next few seconds would prove what happened next - each second an eternity to Tw'eak, each moment of uncertainty exponentially harder to bear.

The shuttle jumped, and Tw'eak caught herself against the bulkhead. Koepka's hands flashed over her pilot's controls. "We're free." She looked back at Tw'eak. "I really should've told you to sit back down."

Baird picked himself up from off the floor. "Yeah, maybe."

"Impulse engines are shutting down," Rau stated. The interior light began to dim. "We're on inertia - minimal thrusters at best to get us into position. Masking energy signature."

"Course is now three-one-six mark five-five," Koepka observed. "We can just coast on out into a holding position from here."

"How long will that take?" Tw'eak asked.

"Hmm. Better part of an hour, I think. I can put us over a Lagrange point or in the planet's magnetic field just by using thrusters from here. Then we can go to warp once it's clear to get going."

"Commander-" Baird's voice was taut as he pointed out the forward viewport.

"Oh my God," Koepka gasped.

Visible in the front-facing window was the gargantuan frame of a Romulan _D'Deridex_-class warbird, now decloaking and coming into view, its forward quarter coming about to bear down on the freighter. Oblivious to its fate and floating on sheer inertia, the freighter continued along its course, directly towards the warbird. Within moments, the warbird's disruptors began tearing its unshielded hull to pieces.

Baird slapped Rau on the shoulder. "Nice of you to tell us they were here."

"What did you expect me to do, track their movement?" Rau scowled at Baird. "I focused on this - I had a job to do."

Koepka looked back over her shoulder at Tw'eak, panicked. "What do we do?"

Tw'eak's eyes were still wide and she shook her head. As she did, the warbird began turning away from the fast-moving wreck of the freighter, its beak-like prow angling towards the shuttle, disruptors eager for another kill. Tw'eak furrowed her brow, her antennae leaning forward aggressively. "Prepare to engage," she ordered.


	7. Chapter 7

While Starfleet Intelligence had been able to make relatively little sense of the internecine strife that was the new normal for the Romulan people, one place in which it had made considerable strides in the years since the Hobus supernova was in understanding Romulan technology. Partly, this was due to the assistance of the Romulan Republic, whose existence had meant the days of impending harm masked as good intentions were at least temporarily at an end. But partly this had also been due to the good work of its analysts and field agents, making a clearer picture of what the Romulans - specifically, the Tal Shiar - were capable of, as well as their aims.

Tw'eak had taken an interest in these reports, mostly because they made for good reading, if one could take the tersely-written technical writing and treat it like a tale full of action and suspense, but such knowledge might be found to have its uses. She had read much about this _D'Deridex_-class warbird - how much harder to come by they had been for the Star Empire and Republic alike, how their overwhelming volume had led them to be used in a broad variety of purposes well beyond their previous warlike purpose, how the Reman resistance had taken custody of several of them. But in her mind could find no discernible reason why there should be a _D'Deridex_-class warbird hanging right in front of her, well within weapons range (if the shuttle she was aboard had any worth the effort of using), nor why it should choose to target a derelict freighter and hasten its destruction, in the way it just had.

A quick visual scan revealed the telltale tattoo emblazoned on the forward section - the bridge of its nose, or beak, as one might more prosaically put it - of the old Star Empire emblem, an inverted triangle in the shape of a raptor's wings, unmistakable at any distance upon its bright green hull. So why exactly the Star Empire would commit one of its few remaining _D'Deridex_ warbirds, useful and adaptable for so many other purposes, to be resident in this system, at this moment, was lost on her. So, too, was the connection between this warbird and the others which had chased her starship, the USS _Repulse_, from the system. Perhaps this was one of those warbirds. If so, it being here, while the _Repulse_ was not, made it a harbinger of destruction in more ways than one.

So many questions, unanswered, flashed through her mind in an instant. They made no sense. None of this made any sense. The brief thought in her mind of how she had intended for today to be spent once the patrol had been completed at its scheduled time, incident-free, had been yet another of those unanswered questions. Another routine warp core ejection drill sounded infinitely preferable to being prey for a warbird on the hunt. But there was no time for questions - these were Romulans, and the only way they were going to survive was to act aggressively, through direct engagement. The odds were razor-thin, but Tw'eak had a plan.

"Give me power to shields and weapons," Tw'eak ordered.

"You're kidding, right?" Lieutenant Dyralxia Rau said from the forward operations station. Next to her, the pilot, Ensign Brienne Koepka, gave Tw'eak yet another desperate glance, clearly on the verge of panic.

The freighter's remnants did not detonate, but smouldered, as the energy of the Romulan disruptors tore them asunder. The warbird briefly adjusted its position with thrusters, to avoid colliding with the debris as it tumbled past. A few flares danced along its underside as some of that debris met the _D'Deridex_'s navigational shielding.

"Status on the warbird," Tw'eak asked Lieutenant Darren Baird, who had angled in behind Rau, his eyes on a tactical display.

"They haven't raised shields. Torpedoes are offline, but disruptors are fully charged."

"We're so screwed," Koepka muttered.

Tw'eak nodded, then realized she couldn't assent without turning Koepka's statement into anything other than a self-fulfilling prophecy. "I disagree," she said with a smile. "We've got them right where we want them."

Rau's eyes were bewildered. "I shoulda known you'd be the 'blaze of glory' type, boss."

"I'm not." Tw'eak leaned forward, pointing into the warbird's aft 'winged' section. "Can you get us in there?"

"Inside?" Koepka was incredulous.

"Not inside - between, more like."

Baird shook his head. "We don't know what's in there."

"Nothing," Rau declared. "She's right, it's empty space."

"It's an enclosed space, yes." Tw'eak held her hands like a cage, leaving room in between, where she poked her thumb. "And they can't risk firing on us within there, or they'll hit themselves."

"They'll squish us like a bug," Baird predicted.

Tw'eak shook her head. "My understanding of bugs is that they're not always that easy to squish," she said. "Especially by something that much bigger."

"Besides," Rau noted, "they don't even see us."

Koepka saw it first. A burst of disruptor energy began to emanate from the lower forward section, and she tapped her console quickly, thrusters active, to engage an emergency maneuver. "Nope, they see us alright!"

"Get us moving, Lieutenant," Tw'eak instructed Rau. "Full power to engines - No sense gliding now."

"You got it."

As if on cue, the shuttle sprang forward, narrowly missing another disruptor beam as it did.

"Shields are up," Baird noted.

"For what they're worth," Rau added. "One shot, maybe two, and we're dead."

"Full impulse," Tw'eak said, leaning forward. "Close that gap. Put everything else into shields."

Koepka shook her head. "No way I'm flying straight at them."

"Fastest way there is a straight line," Rau countered.

"We'll be an easy target that way. Just... let me dance."

Tw'eak didn't hesitate. "Do it."

The shuttle deftly careened forwards at half-impulse, Koepka inputting pre-programmed evasive maneuvers at regular intervals. It took Tw'eak a moment to realize that she was timing her maneuvers to occur a fraction of a second before the disruptors opened up. Before long - certainly not as quickly as Tw'eak would have preferred - the shuttle was too close for the warbird to fire upon, and it rushed up and over the warbird's upper wing section briefly, before spiraling back down and tucking in just beneath it. Dangling just beneath the upper wing put it out of reach.

"Uh, Commander?" Baird's voice was slightly frantic. "They've raised their shields."

Tw'eak had expected this. "Good, then they can't cloak."

"But we're trapped," Rau noted.

"I'm reading activity in the launch bays," Baird reported.

"They're gonna send shuttles after us," Rau anticipated. "And we can't get through their shields to escape."

"I don't intend for us to escape until we've hurt them first," Tw'eak advised. "We have micro-quantum torpedoes equipped, do we not?"

"Not many of them," Baird replied. "Total complement of twelve, it says."

"We'll only need a couple." She pointed down at a section of the lower 'neck', connecting the forward section to the lower wing. "Right along here is where their main EPS junction runs to the forward section - to the shield generators and deflectors. Including their navigational deflectors."

Rau looked back over her shoulder at Tw'eak. "How do you know that?"

"Intelligence reports. I read a lot. It's a hobby."

"You spend your spare time reading about how to kill things?" Rau was incredulous.

"Starships, warbirds, turrets, fixed installations..." Tw'eak paused. "Job-related, so maybe not so much a hobby." She pointed again, looking at Baird. "Got a lock yet?"

"We're full power now, so targeting sensors are active," Rau said.

"Laying in the target," Baird said. "It's... I'll have to fire a spread of them to be sure. It's a thin target to hit."

"Gotta hit it at least a couple times along its length for maximum disruption." Tw'eak leaned over to Koepka. "Once the shields are down, I want you to go to warp."

Koepka nearly leapt from her chair. "Warp!? What heading - I - where?"

"Any heading in the warbird's aft headings. This thing has the turning radius of a small moon. Be careful going to warp through their aft quarter - go past that aft quarter. By the time they get their shields back, and then turn to pursue... it might be enough time."

"Don't forget their shuttles," Rau observed. "They'll have to recover them, too."

"Maybe," Baird added, "maybe not. But they've just launched four of them."

"Fire when ready, Lieutenant," Tw'eak ordered.

"Firing now," Baird acknowledged.

The micro-torpedoes launched in a tight series of four bright blue flashes, mere moments apart. As they descended, they sparkled with the light of their onboard impellers, illuminating the interior of the warbird as they did.

"Don't wait," Tw'eak said to Koepka. "Start taking us out."

"Here we go," Koepka said with a nod.

The shuttle began to turn and descend to a height equal distance between the wings, its impulse engine firing as it did. Incoming fire from a closing Romulan shuttle narrowly missed the Starfleet vessel, and it accelerated smoothly, just as two of its micro-quantum torpedoes struck home.

"The shields-" Rau said, pointing. Koepka closed her eyes as she took the engines to full impulse.

But the shields were gone when they passed through. "Go!" Tw'eak said to Koepka, and the warp engines vaulted the tiny shuttle into faster-than-light travel, leaving the warbird and its shuttles well in the distance.

An excited, bubbly tone swept over the shuttle's flight deck. Rau, Baird and Koepka all talked rapidly and joyously over one another as Tw'eak leaned back, her shoulders and antennae finally setting into a more graceful angle, at ease. They had escaped without any losses, despite the enormous odds against them. She closed her eyes for a moment, then realized something, and leaned over to the tactical display to Koepka's left. "We made it!" the young ensign shouted, despite being right next to Tw'eak as she did. It took Koepka a second to realize that Tw'eak didn't share her enthusiasm. "What?"

"One of those shuttles is after us," she noted, and the happy noises dimmed.

"We can take them," Rau said bravely.

"It's not that," Tw'eak replied. "We can't risk the engagement. That warbird's sure to follow." She called up the navigational display. "What's the nearest Federation system that's in front of us?"

Koepka looked over the selection. "Starbase 114, the Celes system."

"Make that your heading, then, helm."

"Shall we hail the starbase?" Baird asked. "We might be bringing friends, after all."

Tw'eak shook her head. "It's an occupied system. I'm betting the Romulans turn back once they realize where we're going."

"Or that warbird will be on us before we get there," Rau added, pessimistic.

"Or that," Tw'eak repeated.

Koepka looked down at her controls. "I'm already at Warp 9, I can't push this shuttle any faster."

"That warbird tops out at Warp 9.6," Tw'eak observed, without mentioning facts she was well aware of, like how at that speed, the warbird's engines would suffer irreparable damage within minutes. "Time to Celes system?"

"At current speed, twenty-three minutes."

"That warbird could be here any second," Rau said flatly. "I gotta get more power out of these engines." She turned to her console.

"I'll angle the navigational deflector, see if we can't get the warp field contoured a little more optimally," Baird added.

Tw'eak leaned back, having set the three young officers to work. She had figured out that their shuttle would traverse the space without any problems. The Romulan shuttle that pursued them, built in a larger 'runabout' style, was one she knew could barely sustain Warp 9, and would drop out of the chase at some point. Whether this was because its helmsman finally realized where they were going, or whether because their engines could no longer maintain pursuit, hardly mattered. The perception of danger, the potential for it, was enough to motivate her subordinate officers. And it would, she hoped, help to bridge whatever animosity existed between Rau and Koepka if they could realize they had the ability to work together.

* * *

The minutes passed without incident, just as Tw'eak had hoped.

"We're arriving in the Celes system," Ensign Koepka noted.

As they did, and the streaking starfield passed into its normal shape with a flash, a very different silhouette suddenly hung over them.

"We're being hailed," Baird said, as his tactical console beeped.

"Let's hear it," Tw'eak replied.

"-this is the starship _Tecumseh_, calling unidentified shuttlecraft, identify yourself immediately."

Tw'eak looked through the forward viewport, and saw the name U.S.S. TECUMSEH boldly emblazoned on the ventral saucer section of an _Excelsior_-class starship, motionless in space before them. She had never beheld a more gorgeous sight.

"Open a channel, Lieutenant."

Baird nodded at Tw'eak.

"This is Commander Twaiheak Sh'abbas of the starship _Repulse_, currently onboard shuttlecraft and requesting immediate permission to dock, _Tecumseh_."

There was a momentary silence. Tw'eak recognized when a channel had been muted.

"Commander," a different voice, less serious in tone but no less authoritative, came over the air. "This is Captain Dorian Collins, commanding USS _Tecumseh_. Before I give you any authorization to do anything other than come to a complete halt, you will explain yourself, and the whereabouts of your shuttlecraft's home starship."

"This shuttle was engaged in docking maneuvers conducting a freighter inspection, and we became separated when _Repulse_ was forced to disengage. We sent a subspace transmission some time ago - about half an hour ago - containing information which will corroborate those facts."

"So you haven't taken absent without leave, then."

"I'm _Repulse_'s first officer, and I have three of my crew with me, Captain. Believe me, those warbirds were lucky we were on this shuttle when they engaged our starship. Else we would've given them hell."

Captain Collins made a sort of half-snort. Koepka and Rau shared a glance, and Baird chuckled.

"Alright, Commander. You've made your case. Permission to dock granted - please direct your pilot to our main shuttlebay. I look forward to speaking to you once you're all safely aboard. Do you or your people require any medical attention?"

"Not at all, ma'am. We're all just fine, now." Tw'eak tapped Koepka on the shoulder, and gestured with her other hand towards the starship in front of them. She cut the channel. "Just fine," she repeated.

With a few inputs, the ensign directed the shuttle's flight past the _Excelsior_-class starship's starboard warp nacelle, and into the docking flight pattern, towards the awaiting shuttlebay.


	8. Chapter 8

The conference room of the starship _Tecumseh_ was about half the size of the one Tw'eak was used to, on a _Sovereign_-class vessel. She sat at the head of the table, a cup of katheka, her beverage of choice and an Andorian specialty drink, resting comfortably, fresh from the replicator. To be sure, Tw'eak preferred the genuine article, since there was something off (perhaps solely in her own mind) about replicated katheka, but in the current situation, replicated would have to make do. Lieutenant Darren Baird sat to her right, with Lieutenant Dyralxia Rau one seat down. The engineer had opted, almost stereotypically, for a mug of raktajino, while Baird had chosen a cup of coffee. Across from them, with an empty seat between herself and Tw'eak, sat Ensign Brienne Koepka. Unlike her senior officers, Koepka had foregone the option of a replicated refreshment, and with her arms crossed, she stared out the window at Starbase 114 in the distance.

A moment passed, and Tw'eak took another sip, her thoughts lost in a moment of exhaustion. It had been an extremely long day already, between the warp core ejection test before beginning the patrol - how that all felt like months ago, now! - and the events which led them to be here. Sensing a sort of general agreement on that subject, Tw'eak still wanted to encourage her officers to not merely sit in silence together, so she took the initiative. "So," she said, drawing all eyes to her. "Quite a day, we've had."

There were a couple chuckles, before Rau repeated, "quite a day."

Tw'eak turned her attention to Baird. "Well, we know Ensign Koepka grew up on a freighter, and I'm guessing Lieutenant Rau grew up on her homeworld, just as I grew up on mine." Tw'eak actually knew this to be true, if only because she believed she would've remembered from Rau's personnel file if she had been born anywhere but Betazed.

"Sure was," Rau affirmed.

"So that just leaves the question of where you're from," Tw'eak continued, smiling slightly at Baird.

Baird shifted in his chair a bit. "Well, I grew up on Earth's moon. My parents both worked at the shipyards."

"Hey, a Lunar schooner," Rau joked.

"Only when we'd take a boat out on Lake Armstrong," Baird replied, unsmiling. "Never did like being a 'schooner', that was just where I grew up."

"Nothing wrong with growing up on moons," Tw'eak joked. "Technically, Andoria is a moon."

"My wife and I haven't been to Luna in years," Baird continued, lost in his memories. "We signed on with the Una colony project about seven years ago."

"Is it nice there?" Koepka asked. "My folks are so happy on the Norpin colony. They love it there."

"We like it well enough on Una, yeah," Baird said, his eyes drifting away a bit. "That was what we used to joke with people - went from Luna, to Una." He chuckled. "Been a long time since I've been home, though. To Una, I mean."

"When was your last shore leave?" Tw'eak asked.

"Quite a while, actually. I don't mind so much..." Baird caught himself after a moment. "You gotta understand the colony for that to make sense. My wife and I both grew up on the Moon, both of us had family in Starfleet. When we were younger, she decided she wanted to leave all that behind, go someplace with real air, and grow real food."

"She's a farmer?" Koepka asked.

Baird nodded. "And a mother. And a hundred other things, including local administrator in our region of the colony. She keeps good and busy, and me, I drop in every now and then to pretend I belong."

"You don't like it on Una, I take it," Tw'eak conjectured.

Baird's grim face provided his answer. "Una runs itself as being entirely self-sufficient - at least, in terms of what's theirs. No replicators, no holodecks, nothing that isn't 'real'. They're pretty insistent, too - unless it comes to patrolling for Klingons, or requesting medical aid, and then they're running to Starfleet for help." He shook his head. "It's fine, you understand - I love my family, and I miss my boys, so it's nice, when I'm home, to actually be able to spend time with them. It means a lot to my wife for me to be there. And she obviously means everything to me. But she and the other colonists seem to think they're somehow protected from the universe. They want Starfleet just far enough away not to be obvious, yet still never fear for anything. It's... a pleasant fiction, one I try not to interrupt by turning up in uniform."

Tw'eak indicated Baird with her hand, in a conversational way. "That's very noble of you, Lieutenant, to put your own interests aside so that she can have the lifestyle she desires."

"I hope it sounds that way. I don't want anyone thinking I'm unhappy, or resentful. I truly believe that she's doing right by our boys, and by everyone she can. I just... also know how close they are to the front lines. There have been raids in the system before, nothing Starfleet couldn't handle. I guess I'm just... everything seems peaceful, perfect, on Una when I'm there. But it's one that could only ever exist because of this." Baird gestured with his head towards a symbol of the Federation on the bulkhead behind him.

"There but for the grace of God," Koepka said, smiling. "We used to say that all the time, any time you'd find a raided freighter or a debris field, when I was growing up." Koepka looked up, self-consciously. "Not that I'm particularly spiritual or anything, but... you won't find many atheists among a freighter crew."

"Is that right?" Tw'eak asked.

"Oh, yes. Never met anyone from a freighter that wasn't superstitious about every little thing. Warp field pattern shapes, the number thirteen, lucky charms and talismans... you name it."

"So what's yours, then?"

Ensign Koepka realized too late that she had put herself out. "I - um - "

Tw'eak leaned over towards Baird and Rau. "I'm sure these lieutenants can be trusted with it. If you'd like, I can order them to keep it to themselves." She nodded, in mock seriousness, at the two officers. "Make it so, then."

"No, see, you don't understand. Bad luck to breathe word, as we used to say." Koepka looked around, spooked. "You never know if the fates are listening."

"Fates?" Tw'eak smiled, intrigued. "We have something similar on Andoria, they're said to have a sense of humour in how they go about their business."

"They terrify me, actually." Koepka caught herself and waved a hand across from left to right, her eyes closed. "But I don't dare say anything more."

Rau just stared at Koepka, before saying, "You can be so weird."

It was intended as a playful jest, but Koepka's eyes flashed, resentful, for just a moment, before she caught sight of Tw'eak watching her face. "Maybe that's what he likes about me," she said, her meaning coded. Tw'eak raised an eyebrow at the sight of Rau's reaction, the engineer's face falling as though her jaw had been struck by a sucker-punch.

The door made a welcome distraction, and Captain Collins entered the room. "Well, hello. I'm Dory Collins. Welcome aboard _Tecumseh_." She took a moment to shake Tw'eak's hand. "We were just preparing to clear port when the starbase put us onto your trail." She turned to Tw'eak, addressing her. "I've read your report."

"Thank you," Tw'eak said. "I kept it as brief as I could."

"Made for interesting reading. When we have more time, I'd love to hear more of how you outfoxed that warbird, but... for right now, we have more pressing matters. I've asked the starbase to give us any sensor telemetry or possible leads we can use in tracking down _Repulse_. They're sending us the data now, but, under the circumstances, I would really value your input. It's one thing to know where to look, but it's another to know the people you're looking for. Each starship's a little different."

Tw'eak nodded. "So I've found. But we've all appreciated your hospitality, during our time onboard."

Collins waved a hand. "No flattery required - were the situations reversed, you'd do the same for members of my crew, no doubt. I've asked to have the data routed here, since I'd value your input."

"Does this ship have an astrometrics lab?" Rau asked.

The question seemed to perturb Collins. "Not any longer. We've just been retrofitted, many of our science facilities were re-allocated for other uses. Munitions transport, for instance."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tw'eak said, guessing at Collins' opinion.

"Me too. Deck space on a ship of this size, and age, make certain difficult choices necessary. Having thirty-six extra photon torpedoes will count for more right now than an astrophysics lab, even if I'm not fond of the idea." Collins paused for a moment. "I'm a science officer by training, so I can't help but want to go back to mapping gaseous anomalies or exploring distant sectors. The things you'd use an astrophysics lab for - but, needs must."

Tw'eak nodded. "I can appreciate that."

Collins looked from face to face. "Which of you is the science officer?"

"We didn't have one with us on this mission," Tw'eak replied. "It wasn't necessary."

"_Repulse_ is... _Norway_-class?"

"_Steamrunner_."

"_Steamrunner_," Collins repeated as she looked out the window. "Good ship?"

"Certainly think so," Tw'eak replied, adding, "but we're biased."

Collins nodded, giving Tw'eak an appreciative smile. "Wherever they've gotten to, out there, we'll find them." The conference room viewer began chirping, and blinked to life, showing a map of Repulse's last known co-ordinates. "And here we are. Data's coming through now."

Into the room stepped another officer, his rank commander. Tall for a human, his clean-cut and capable look gave Tw'eak the impression of an efficient, ambitious officer - or perhaps she was merely projecting. His most notable feature were his green eyes, fairly large for a human's, which shone in the reflected light of the viewscreen. His dark hair was perfectly swept forward, and slightly spiked above his brow. "We're ready, Captain," he said quickly, a hint of apology in his voice.

Collins extended a hand to point at the new arrival. "My first officer, Commander Edgar Torgrove."

Tw'eak stood and extended a hand. "Tw'eak Sh'abbas," she said, shaking Torgrove's hand. "_Repulse_."

"A pleasure," Torgrove replied.

Collins took up most of the standing room in front of the viewer, tapping commands into the console adjacent to it, then stepping back directly in front to get a better look. "Some of this sensor data isn't very useful. I'm trying to filter it out." She gave a look over her shoulder at Tw'eak, as she and Torgrove stepped in on either side of her. "Starbase sensors can track a great deal, but here they've corroborated sensor information from six other starships in the area. We're spoiled for choice, actually."

"How recent is this information?"

"Starbase said everything was from within the past six hours," Torgrove replied.

Tw'eak nodded. "That should give us _Repulse_'s warp trail residue both upon entry and exit, then."

Collins magnified the sensor readout around the Aindo system. "Let's see." She tapped a few other commands. "Look at that." She stepped back for a moment, as a nearly right-angle pair of lines bisected at the marker for Aindo's star. Collins looked back at Tw'eak. "Seems that your warp field isn't fully congruous - judging by the number of exotic particles present, I'd say your deflector needs re-alignment."

"I'll take that under advisement," Tw'eak said, giving Rau a passing glance as she did.

"It's actually helpful in this instance, but it'd ruin your ability to approach anything stealthily. They'd see you coming a light-year away. Glad you were on patrol, and not recon." Collins input a few more commands. "There. Slight evidence of residual particles consistent with artificial singularities, too. Looks like they went this way, turned, and changed course headed... well. It gives us a place to start, at least."

"Can we pull back a bit?" Torgrove asked. "Maybe see if we can follow the trail a bit. It'd save us some time."

"No need, Commander." The voice made Tw'eak turn, and she saw Koepka standing, her hand extending outwards above the viewer. "They ran for the Briar Patch."

"How can you be sure?" Collins asked.

"It's right along that line. See?" She pointed to Aindo. "There's Aindo. Celes is here, so Regulus..." She indicated a point just beside the viewer, on the wall, her long-standing knowledge of the distance between star points meaning she didn't require a viewscreen to be able to triangulate their position. "...would be here," Koepka continued. "So they're in the Briar Patch."

"You must be the shuttle pilot," Torgrove said with an appreciative chuckle.

"That's me," Koepka replied.

"Ensign Koepka spent most of her youth on a freighter that worked these trade routes," Tw'eak explained. "She knows the region inside-out."

But Koepka was off in her own head. "Why would he take them in there, though?" she asked.

"Who?" Collins asked.

Koepka directed her response to Tw'eak instead. "Captain Corlett wouldn't have thought to do this. It's too... I shouldn't say anything, but I don't know why he went there."

"He might've relied on his memory for the area," Rau countered. "We did an exercise in there, a couple years back. Nothing to say he wouldn't feel comfortable trying to dodge a few warbirds in there. It'd even the odds nicely - no way you'd want to risk cloaking in there and lower your shields. The metreon gas is too volatile."

Koepka shook her head, still looking at Tw'eak. "But it's a risk. Captain Corlett wouldn't want to take that big a risk. It's not his way. But..." Koepka paused for a moment, then quietly said, "Of course he did."

"There's a reason that entry to that space is highly controlled," Collins stated. "Aside from the exploding metreon gas clouds and the occasional Son'a warship."

"And the Klingon patrols," Baird added.

"Yes, the Klingon patrols." Collins looked gravely at Torgrove. "I better go talk to Starfleet, get us cleared to go in there. You go down to Engineering. I'm sure Chief Kintyre will be thrilled."

Torgrove laughed. "Something like that."

"What about us, Captain?" Tw'eak asked.

"I've assigned you guest quarters on Deck Seven. With a little luck, we'll get sorted and underway within the hour. I'll contact you when I need you." Collins turned and headed out. "Thank you all."

Torgrove lingered for just a moment, his eyes on Tw'eak. "Nice meeting you, Commander."

"Same to you," Tw'eak said with a smile. The appreciation - on all levels - appeared to be mutual. "Let me know if we can do anything to help."

"Sure." Torgrove took a few steps back towards the door, then left.

Tw'eak straightened her uniform tunic. "Right. Deck Seven."

"Oooh," Rau said with a little squeal. "He likes you, Commander."

"What?"

"Commander Cute-stuff there." Rau raised her eyebrows. "Want to know what he was thinkin'?"

Tw'eak gave a soured expression. "I do not, Lieutenant. And you won't need your Betazoid senses to know what I think of such talk."

Rau huffed slightly, and straightened up. "Sorry, Commander."

"You're dismissed." She turned to Koepka, projecting frostily in Rau's direction. "You too, Lieutenant Baird. Thank you both."

Rau hastily retreated, followed shortly by Baird. "I thought she'd like hearing that - I mean, she's single," she said to Baird as they departed.

"You've been in the Briar Patch before, Ensign," Tw'eak said, loudly enough for Rau and Baird to hear. "I'd like your input on something."

Koepka looked confused. "I've never been in the Briar Patch before, ma'am. Been by it - hundreds of times, sure. Not in. The operation that Dyra was talking about happened before I came aboard."

The door closed, and Tw'eak looked Koepka right in the eye. "Forget that."

Koepka's confusion became fearful. "I - what?"

"This was Lieutenant Sagittori's idea, I'm guessing?"

"I - um..." Koepka attempted a poker face, possibly the worst such effort Tw'eak had ever seen. "What do you mean?"

"I heard you. 'Of course', you said, all of a sudden. Captain Corlett wouldn't come up with this, unless... of course. So either you somehow convinced yourself that Captain Corlett did, in fact, think of this, or you realized who did."

Koepka tried to hold her facial expression in place, then gave a piteous sigh. "Jon... you see, Commander, he's got... ideas. Things he's always wanted to try. Clever stuff, you know. Fighting another ship in the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant, or doing the Picard Maneuver, stuff like that. It's like, he won't be happy until he's faced down a Tholian captain in hand-to-hand combat for real. Just... idle fantasy. Sometimes I think he just dreams stuff up, to impress me with what he'd do."

"And the Briar Patch was one of these 'idle fantasies'."

"Yeah. The Badlands, too - he's always wanted to fight Cardassians there, re-live the Dominion War or something." Koepka made a noise that was part sigh and part snicker. "It's kind of sweet, really. All he wants is to be someone special in Starfleet. 'Risk is our business', he's always saying. Other guys get on him for it, he says. But that's just how he is."

"So you think he talked Captain Corlett into trying to escape through the Briar Patch because..."

"He's always wanted to try that. We did a little scenario on the holodeck like that, me and him, on a date, months back. I flew the ship, he did the shields and weapons and all that."

"On a date?"

"Yeah... it was fun. We - um..." Koepka suddenly became very silent. "Is this on the record?"

"It doesn't have to be, but for now, yes."

"Those sorts of missions... really got him going." Koepka gave a little shrug. "You know."

Tw'eak suppressed a grimace, but her antennae angled outwards, and forwards, in embarrassment. She closed her eyes briefly. "I think I understand."

"Yeah. We spent a lot of nights doing that sort of thing." Koepka snickered. "Rau's so jealous - and I got her good with it, too. Been wanting to do that for weeks."

Tw'eak opened her eyes, concerned. "I'm sorry?"

"You know, before. When we were talking, and she called me weird. So I remembered being with Jon on nights like that, when we'd run one of those moments of his in the holodeck, then go back to his place. And I remembered it so strongly, so she'd know it was me he was into." Koepka made a satisfied face, then added, "but not her..." in a singsong fashion.

Tw'eak raised an eyebrow. "I see."

Koepka's eyes narrowed. "She's got such a hard time keeping her thoughts to herself, you know? That little freakazoid brain of hers, always looking for something. So I just came up with a couple thoughts of my own, something she doesn't get to have."

Tw'eak swallowed a groan. "Don't tell me the Lieutenant's had a relationship with her, too."

"Oh, no way. I know lots of guys have, but that's what she wants with Jon - what she can't have, because he's never wanted it. Like, she's married, but you'd never know it the way she's always looking for it - maybe she shouldn't have married a Vulcan if she's so hot for it all the time." Koepka gave the door - and, by extension, Rau somewhere beyond it - a scathing dirty look. "But she's always gotta get into everyone else's lives. Jon hates - really hates - how casually she just butts into other people's business. Sometimes, even with her mind. You're not supposed to do that, if you're Betazoid, but she just plays all innocent, like, 'but it was right there in the open' and stuff. You saw how she can tune it out if she wants, but she goes looking for stuff, for... weaknesses. She played nice, at first, then she turned awful once she found out he was with me - like, just awful. She wants him so bad." Koepka sneered in the direction Rau had gone. "That's why she started with all that 'cupcake' stuff."

"What 'cupcake'?"

"That's what she calls me. Thinks it's cute. You know what I mean, a cupcake? It's like a little baked treat, from Earth?"

"Yes, I know what a cupcake is, Ensign," Tw'eak responded, a bit too sharply. She cleared her throat. "But it's also a term with a connotation, is it not?"

"Yeah. She thinks I'm just this sweet little nothing, like Jon's just going to have me like he wants, then once he gets bored with me, oh, just like that, it's her turn. I wouldn't want to tell Jon what to do, it's not like I get to own him because I was with him for a while, but I don't see how he could ever possibly feel that way about her." Koepka swallowed, seemingly on the verge of a sob. "Still. It'd kill me if they ever got together. Just kill me."

Tw'eak cleared her throat, briefly wondering if she could channel all this junior-officer angst into a usable energy source. The thought of a phaser beam bank powered entirely by intra-ship relationship drama gave her reason to smile, but she was careful not to, lest Koepka misinterpret her facial expression as an approving one. "Well." Tw'eak leaned back, looking towards the door. "We should probably be getting to our quarters."

"I hope you don't mind me talking," Koepka said quickly, recovering herself. "I probably ruined your mood. You should go check on that commander. I bet he's a sweetie." She bit a lower lip. "Lucky for you that you outrank me or I'd want a chance to say 'hello'."

Falsifying a smile as quickly as she could, Tw'eak tried to suppress the awkward feeling she had. She reminded herself that these junior officers were projecting - Rau, and now Koepka, were telegraphing what they would do in her position, then imagining her doing it, seducing the _Tecumseh_'s first officer on their behalf. Uncomfortable though it was, it furnished insight.

"I think I'll check out the replicator in my assigned quarters," Tw'eak said. "I could really use some lunch. It's been a long day and I'm more hungry and tired than... anything else."

"Yeah. Hey, you think they'd mind if I went to the junior officer's mess? Maybe this whole ship is just full of cuties. I would just love that."

Tw'eak smiled as she approached the conference room door, keeping the regulations governing serving alongside family members to herself. "Good hunting," she joked instead. "Dismissed." As she watched the ensign turn and leave, Tw'eak wondered if perhaps instead of crew drills and patrol missions, she should perhaps advise all crew members to report for immediate therapy with the ship's counselor. It might make the whole starship work better if everyone's feelings weren't so frequently involved in their duties.


	9. Chapter 9

Containing a variety of masses, including false vacuum fluctuations, metreon gas pockets, and metaphasic radiation, as well as planets which orbited stars at close proximity to the remains of supernovae and other phenomena, the Briar Patch was an utter quagmire in space. Tw'eak hated the idea of going in there. It was a tactical officer's worst nightmare - a place in which the environmental hazards were as great a danger than the adversaries that might be lurking within. Now, she had to - aboard a starship that wasn't even her own, in order to find where her duty assignment, the starship _Repulse_, had gone.

First, though, she had taken a bit of a break to spend some time alone in her guest quarters aboard the starship _Tecumseh_, which would soon be on its way to the Briar Patch, following _Repulse_'s trail. The intense proximity of having three junior officers directly in contact with her for the past two days had been exhausting. She had also had little rest before the patrol which had begun her current separation from the _Repulse_, as she had been engaged in... so very much work. Two of her junior officers acted more intent on bringing themselves joy through malice towards each other - and she didn't know what to make of Lieutenant Baird's comments about his home life.

But that was just the crew she had with her. The starship _Repulse_ seemed chock full of well-intentioned but unprofessional sorts of officers. There were the inefficient and poorly-led engineering crew members, all of them seemingly bullied or harassed by Chief Engineer Canso, and the practically non-existent science teams who operated under the mercurial command of Lieutenant Raxx. There was the irritable chief medical officer, who until recently had benefited from a less-than-professional arrangement with her predecessor, and on the tactical side of things, the efforts of rising hero of the Federation (if only in his own mind) Lieutenant Jon Sagittori, slayer of adversaries, seducer of ensigns, conqueror of holodecks... whose bright idea, if Ensign Koepka were to be believed, this flight into the Briar Patch had been in the first place.

At least the operations of the starship, Lieutenant Commander V'Sar's area of expertise, were competently run, but Tw'eak found herself wondering how the Vulcan officer managed to cope with such illogical, unprofessional antics all about. It was a question she would have to remember for later. While she had spent much time on V'Sar's home planet during her younger days, Tw'eak had not yet achieved a level of mastery over her emotions and reactions. It was something she continued to work upon, regularly, and sometimes moments as simple as these, in tranquil solitude, could make all the difference.

Tw'eak's right shoulder suddenly jumped - a rather sizeable twitch, for no discernible reason.

She sighed. She knew what this was. "Seriously." A quick glance downwards at her arm - and its twitching bio-mechanical fingers - made her realize the arm needed immediate repair. Taking that powerful shock from the beacon, while onboard the freighter, must have been just enough to damage it. There was never a good time for this sort of thing, but now was emphatically not the right time.

Tw'eak got up, returning her empty bowl and cup to the replicator, and went to find her way to the Tecumseh's sickbay. On her way out, she nearly collided with a tall figure in uniform - Commander Torgrove, the ship's first officer. "Oh, excuse me!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry," Torgrove said in reply. "I was just coming to find you."

"Can we talk on the way? I need to get to sickbay."

Torgrove's look became one of concern. "Is everything all right?"

"Oh, I'm fine. It's just my arm." Tw'eak rolled her shoulder as she stepped past him. "Needs a fix."

Torgrove came to a stop. "It - what?"

"Oh." Tw'eak laughed. "It's not the original - it's a replacement, and it's acting up."

"I don't think I've ever met anyone with a replacement arm. How did that happen?"

"Nausicaans. My captain - I was serving aboard the _Nelson_ at the time, and Captain Slutskaya decided to take a more direct approach. There was this group of mercenaries operating from an asteroid, raiding one of our colonies, as well as a free Romulan colony in the same system. Her plan was to meet with the mercenary leader and make her point heard in person. Sometimes these guys need to see a face, you know? Especially one with armed security personnel on all sides." Tw'eak's arm twitched again. "Damn it. Anyway. We were on our way to the meeting when we were ambushed. Lucky me, one of them came out of the shadows with a plasma pulsewave assault rifle. My personal shield was too weak to protect me, and I got it in the side."

Torgrove gave a tilt of his head. "I thought Nausicaans preferred to use disruptors."

"I wish they had. They must have seized the plasma weapons from the planet or something - been short on ground weapons. Just my luck. The tissue damage wouldn't have been as intensive from a disruptor, but it would've wrecked my nervous system. I suppose it's better this way, as it only cost me an arm, not my life." Tw'eak's shoulder twitched again as she reached the turbolift, nearly throwing her off-balance. "As long as I get regular check-ups on it, everything's just fine. You'd never know it was there." She summoned a turbolift with a push of the button - with her left hand this time.

"I..." Torgrove stammered for a second, his eyes hovering around Tw'eak's upper arm. "I mean - does it - how does it - is it visible?"

"It's all my skin over top, regenerated, so it matches well enough, but you can see the join, the servo units, all the moving parts, if you know where to look." She pressed her tingling arm right at the base of her shoulder. "I'd be just as happy to tear it out right about now."

After a moment of staring at her twitching hand, Torgrove caught himself. "I'm sorry, this is awful of me. I just... have something of a horror about that sort of thing."

The turbolift opened, and Tw'eak stepped inside. "Sickbay," she called out. Torgrove followed her. "What things?"

"Losing a limb, bio-synthetic replacements... Borg assimilation... losing part of me, or having parts replaced... It's my worst nightmare, actually. I don't think I could live with it."

"That was how I felt, before this happen. Having this new arm, having to recover... felt like having a permanent reminder of my failure under my own skin. It took me two years in recovery to learn how to cope. They told me I had to grieve its loss, come to terms with it. I don't think I ever have." The shoulder threw itself again. "It's negotiating its own terms at the moment, mind you."

"I can see that." The turbolift opened, and Tw'eak stepped forwards, striding towards sickbay. Holding her arm by its shoulder seemed to mitigate the twitching and tingling. "What were you coming to find me for?" Torgrove asked as he followed along.

"Well, you've been an XO for longer than I have."

"Just about a year, yeah."

Tw'eak tapped herself on the chest. "Two weeks."

"Really? I would've thought longer. You seem so ...well put together. Guess you're a natural."

"Do you think so?"

"Well, yeah. They were following your every word, when you were talking with the captain."

Tw'eak rounded a corner, sickbay just down the corridor. On her way, though, she passed a door - to the junior officer's mess. The doorway was clear glass on either side, and Tw'eak could clearly see Lieutenant Rau startling at the sight of her in Torgrove's company. "I get a little too much of their attention sometimes." She hurried past, nearly leaving Torgrove behind. "But how do you... deal with it?"

"Deal with what? Like, deal with them personally?"

"No." Tw'eak came to a stop, the sickbay just ahead. "Their limitations. It feels like all of them are... flawed."

"Nothing wrong with that - they're only human. Or-" Torgrove looked Tw'eak right in the antennae. "It's an expression. Nothing meant by it."

"Not the first time I've heard it. But I mean, I doubt I was anything but equally lacking in the eyes of my own XOs over the years. And like I said, the arm... reminds me of my own limitations. But I wanted to change, to exceed my limitations - and it feels like they... just don't. They're complacent, tolerant of their own faults. Motivation is either to avoid trouble or sometimes to get someone else aboard in trouble instead. They tear each other apart for the slightest of things, but don't change them, either - in themselves or in each other. I'd expect better from a ship full of Ferengi."

"It's a coping strategy. They don't feel they can meet the expectations of Starfleet, so they project those failings onto everyone else. It's not uncommon."

"If they put the energy into improvement that they did into projection, though, we'd be the best in Starfleet." Tw'eak shook her head. "They should be looking to build each other up, to work harder together for each other, not look over their shoulders and laugh at each other."

"I don't think they're laughing at you," Torgrove said flatly, his eyes quickly darting towards the door of the junior officer's mess.

Tw'eak refused to look, but her antennae angled forward in disappointment. "Speaking of projecting... I think it'd make Rau's career if I had some romantic interlude to recount to her."

"In sordid detail, no doubt," Torgrove joked.

"I don't think 'sordid' would be enough to satisfy her."

"And who's the lucky fellow she wants to set you up with?"

Tw'eak smiled sweetly. "Turns out that I'm talking to him."

"Me?" Torgrove chuckled. "Well. There's nothing to prevent that from happening, by regulations." Tw'eak raised an eyebrow, but Torgrove raised a hand. "That's not a come-on, believe me. Nothing personal at all - but look at it from their perspective. For them, the sheer number of rules and regulations that they have to play by, on a daily basis, can be utterly bewildering. And we've risen to our place in the ranks because we can handle the complexities of command."

Tw'eak almost felt like saying, "speak for yourself", but kept that remark unspoken.

"A lot of them live their lives from duty station to bed and back, with maybe a stop along the way in the mess hall. It can wear on them. Projection is just one way they can go about releasing the stress of their duties. They think we can handle what they can't, so we become larger than life to them."

"That's what it is - stress relief?" Tw'eak smiled.

"They're proceeding from the false assumption that someone, somewhere aboard ship, is having the fun they're not. And we can't be that busy, since being in charge isn't work, not real work, the kind they do. So we have time for that kind of dalliance with each other, apparently." Torgrove shrugged. "Not saying they're right, for the record.

"And for the record, on my ship, it's been proven to be true. I'm pretty sure my chief medical officer was romantically involved with her former first officer, whom I replaced. It might even be the reason I replaced him. No one wants to talk to me about it, exactly."

"That's not good." Torgrove raised a finger quickly. "If it's true."

"It's such an abdication of responsibility, such selfish nonsense - but that's what they don't take into account, responsibility. They let the ship down, an EPS conduit blows - me, I let the ship down and we're all killed in action. They can afford to blow things off. I can't."

"They probably talk the same way about you. But, they're lucky, in a way. I've read that it was way worse for lower ranks before they introduced synthehol and the holodeck. We're able to give them the means to diffuse a lot of the tension they're under, but don't underestimate the pressure they're under. I'm sure that the responsibilities you know they have are the very same ones they're aware they're not meeting. Plenty of moments of tension, then."

Tw'eak's antennae tilted inwards, reflective of her contemplative mind. "I was always told that it was in those moments of tension that you discovered your character."

"And I'm sure you're not the same character today that you were as a young lieutenant, vaulting forward in defense of your captain."

Tw'eak's eyes went blank. "No. I was definitely a different person before-" Her shoulder bolted again. "Before this." She reached up with her left arm and took hold of her shoulder. "But I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

"I'd love nothing more than to be able to run a few hundred more simulations with my crew. We've just been refitted for battle. This isn't the first time this old girl's been ready for battle." Torgrove leaned over and touched the bulkhead, signifying his affection for the starship _Tecumseh_. "It's got battle honours that are older than I am. Through the Dominion War, the post-Hobus evacuation, now here we go again, with the Klingons." Torgrove shook his head. "I didn't even count the Borg incursions, like that mess at the Vega colony."

Tw'eak pursed her lips. "Some people I knew lost family there. A good friend of mine, an old friend from home, lost his whole family."

Torgrove shook his head. "We were there, just too late to help. The Borg had assimilated the entire planet - and then the Undine blew it up. I've never seen anything like it. Neither had anyone else, not even the captain. We'd maybe heard of stories, but nothing prepares you for it. That's what I've learned. I can simulate it, run it a thousand times, with millions of variables accounted for and controlled. In the real thing, they'll behave just how they are, and become exactly who they become. The best I can do is try and show them how they can become better."

Tw'eak smiled. "I like that." She nodded. "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

"You had something to discuss with me, though."

"Yeah - the captain wanted me to tell you that we've been cleared to depart. My chief engineer asked to adjust the impulse manifolds before we go to warp, that won't take much longer. Then we'll be on our way."

"I appreciate the update." Tw'eak gave the commander a sideways grin. "But admit it, you were coming to check on me." She nodded slightly. "Weren't you."

Torgrove looked aside for a moment. "Actually, I feel a little embarrassed to prove your officers right, but yeah, I was going to extend an invitation, if there's time, and you're still aboard. I'd love to show you around, maybe have dinner."

"Assuming we can manage without my Betazoid lieutenant finding out."

"That was a complication I hadn't expected, admittedly." Torgrove smiled.

Tw'eak nodded, smiling in turn. "Alright. Your place or mine?"

"Oh, mine, I insist. I replicate a scampi alfredo like no one else."

"I don't think I've ever tried that. What is it?"

"You'll have to come by and find out. I think you'll love it. I'll aim for eighteen-hundred, depending on how this all goes."

"Looking forward to it." Tw'eak's shoulder heaved. "Hopefully by then this will be fixed. I'll let you know if I'm delayed at all." She gave a nod. "Thank you, Commander."

"Commander." Torgrove gave Tw'eak a quick wink, then headed off down the corridor, away from the junior officer's mess. Tw'eak gave a sharp look back - Rau was nowhere to be seen, though if her telepathic presence was about, Tw'eak could sense no trace of it - before heading through the sickbay doors to have her arm looked after.


	10. Chapter 10

It took a bit longer than expected for Tw'eak's arm to be properly refitted and tuned. One of the central motivator cores had begun shorting out, a process that required at least half an hour of troubleshooting - half an hour that felt like days to Tw'eak - to finally figure out. It wasn't the medical technician's fault that it took so long, but rather, the arm's. As if it knew where it was, the twitches had begun to fade while Tw'eak was in sickbay, so that assessing the problem required the problem to repeat itself, which it didn't. She wondered if her increased anxiety around Commander Torgrove had made the problem more frequent, though it wasn't like she had a chance to test her theory. Still, the whole process of getting the repair done had been as exhausting as a first date, with nothing to show for it.

Now, an hour later, her arm was back to its useful self. She had returned to her quarters, and sat alone, wanting to lay down, but with the foreknowledge that the moment she relaxed she'd be called back to duty - and back onto her feet. The couch in the quarters she was provided was an adequate replacement, and she gently lifted her legs, careful to keep her boots off the upholstery, while leaning her head and right shoulder back into a resting posture. Despite her feeling of exhaustion, her mind had resumed its pattern of overthinking and second-guessing, depriving her of the chance to relax.

Was the commander sincerely interested in her? just being cordial with a fellow officer? or was he merely doing this out of obligation since she was aboard his ship? But, more importantly, was she interested in him? The serendipity of their meeting was undeniable - she something of a damsel in distress, her shuttlecraft showing up in time for his ship to rescue her. Tw'eak's nose wrinkled, and she felt offended by the notion. She required no such service - her job was to be the one doing the rescuing. And even then, being the rescuer, like with rank, would create an uncomfortable imbalance between them, then. Was it okay for her to want this? Would it come to anything, if she did? The long-term relationship prospects of two first officers...

She stopped herself. Long-term relationship prospects, and not even a date yet. She closed her eyes. "You're a bit ahead of yourself, there," she said to herself, aloud.

"Please repeat your request," the ship's computer squawked.

"Ignore that," Tw'eak said quickly, almost feeling compelled to apologize. She sighed. "Actually, computer, what's the ship's current course and heading?"

The computer blurped in a negative tone. "The ship is currently holding position in the Celes system."

"Still?"

"Affirmative."

Tw'eak's head rose from its resting position, her antennae flaring forward. "Why haven't we gotten underway yet?"

"Unable to comply."

The rapid nature of the computer's response annoyed Tw'eak. "Why not?"

"Mission-sensitive materials are not authorized for computer inquiry."

Tw'eak rolled her eyes - not like the computer could see her annoyance. "So you can't tell me."

"Affirmative."

Tw'eak nodded, involuntarily. "Figures." She tapped her commbadge, then went silent. Who could she ask? She only knew the captain and first officer by name - and while she knew better than to bother either of the ship's senior officers without cause, Torgrove was the more reasonable one to ask. And yet, Torgrove was also... She shrugged and tapped the commbadge again. "Sh'abbas to Torgrove."

"Torgrove here. How's your arm?"

"Better, thanks. Just wondering when we're getting underway."

"We've run into a bit of a complication with the main impulse engine manifold."

"I see."

"We need to modify them for transit through the Briar Patch, but... it turns out the ones we were planning to use ...my chief engineer called it a "backfire" that happened when we ran a simulation."

"A 'backfire'?"

"Yes, apparently it's just like it sounds - the impulse exhaust would run hot enough to detonate the metreon gas within a fairly short time. The engineers have made some modifications to the materials in the design, and they're replicating the replacement components now. We should be underway within the hour."

The thought of _Repulse_'s unmodified impulse manifolds at maximum, tearing through the Briar Patch, crossed Tw'eak's mind. Somehow she doubted Lieutenant Sagittori would've incorporated modifications to impulse manifolds into his simulations, and _Repulse_ likely didn't have time to work on modifying the impulse engine manifolds while it was escaping under pursuit. "And how long, do you think, before we go?" she asked.

"Not very long. My chief engineer tells me we should be ready by eleven-hundred."

It was hard for Tw'eak not to be disappointed. Any lost time could make the difference between search-and-rescue and salvage operations. Two hours felt like a lifetime. "I see."

"My people are doing the best they can," Torgrove replied, almost defensively.

A sudden feeling of exhaustion swept over Tw'eak - along with one of discomfort. "No, I get it, it's fine. I have some time to myself, then."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I'm just going back on shift."

Tw'eak tilted her head in confusion for a moment, before she realized that Torgrove had tipped his hand. "Oh! No, I didn't mean that as a slight towards you, Commander. You're doing things right, as far as I'm concerned - I mean, you and your people. I have no complaints." Tw'eak cringed as she realized she was overexplaining - tipping her own hand. Or was she just replying in kind? She cringed again - overthinking, as usual. "The safety of your ship is too important to rush, of course. I just... I'm worried about my ship. I'm sure you can understand."

"Completely. And hopefully we'll get more of a chance to talk again soon."

Tw'eak merely nodded. It felt as though her antennae were pressing down on her forehead. "I'm sure we will. Let me know if you need anything from my people or myself."

"Sure. Torgrove out."

Alone again, Tw'eak moved from the couch to the bed, and stretched across it - no reason not to, now. She hadn't realized how tired everything that had happened recently had made her, right up until her shoulder gave out. That had only made things worse. Tired of moving, tired of thinking, tired of duty and obligation, Tw'eak extended her legs and stretched. She sat up, then slipped off her boots and uniform jacket, then lay back down, content to rest in place for the moment. "Computer, dim lights," she muttered, and the room complied.

* * *

The sound of the door chime was audible at first as if down a deep, dark tunnel. Tw'eak squeezed her eyes, willing them open, then felt a growing pain in her neck. She had slept in a funny position. "Computer, time?"

"Time is currently eleven-thirty-two."

Tw'eak cursed under her breath in Andorian. "Lights." The computer followed the command, to Tw'eak's dismay. She tucked her feet into her boots, kicking one to get it upright, before turning to grab the jacket. "Forget it," she grumbled, then went to the door.

On the other side was Ensign Brienne Koepka. "Hi!" she said brightly.

"Ensign," Tw'eak said flatly, brushing a few stray hairs to one side. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh! You were - I mean-" Koepka peeked over Tw'eak's shoulder.

Tw'eak threw her jacket over her shoulders. "He's not here, if you're wondering."

"No! No, sorry, I wasn't thinking that at all. I was just, uh..." Koepka's sense of disappointment was hard for her to hide. "Okay, so that's exactly what I was thinking."

"My focus is pretty much entirely on getting our ship back. Don't think it would be appropriate to go looking for that sort of thing at a time like this."

"I know, I just..." Her head fell. "Not really appropriate of me, either, I guess."

Tw'eak merely smiled. "Besides which, I've never been one for rushing in to anything."

"Oh! No. Me neither." Koepka shrugged. "Except when I do, which is... a lot."

"Come in for just a second, will you? I don't want to leave you standing in the doorway while I get myself dressed properly."

"I can, if you'd rather."

"No, it's fine. Just my jacket." Tw'eak moved to the side of the bed, then Koepka stepped inside after her.

"Wow," Koepka said, looking around. "I thought for sure you'd get bigger quarters than I did."

"They're guest quarters," Tw'eak said, fastening her jacket. "Rank doesn't apply. Under the circumstances, I'd rather sleep in the Jeffries tubes if it would get us back to _Repulse_ more quickly."

Koepka nodded, blushing. "Same, I guess." She closed her eyes tightly, almost bursting. "Permission to speak freely, ma'am."

"Alright." Tw'eak put her hands behind her back.

"I don't know if it's really fair to say or whatever, but... I think I want a transfer. To a different ship, I mean."

"I see. I'd hate to lose you at the helm."

"Oh, it's not because of you - it's better because you're here. I like you, we all do. You're so different from Commander Freitag, and I'm glad you're aboard, because you are, like, the only senior officer we have that I trust."

Tw'eak arched an eyebrow. "You're quick to be so trusting."

"That I feel I can trust, then. Just somehow, you just... I feel better about everything that's going on because you're here. You actually know what you're doing." Koepka wrinkled her eyebrows. "I mean, everyone knows what they're doing, we're all Starfleet officers, only you just... know how to do it right."

"That applies to conversations had with junior officers, you should know. Anything you share with me can't be kept a secret. I may need to tell others - sometimes, under orders."

"But that's what I mean. You handle things. Directly. Like, you put Lieutenant Rau in her place. And that's what we need. Everything was an argument before. Commander Freitag was more... he wanted a happy crew, so a lot of things were ignored, were less efficient because, 'that's just the way we do it here'. It's funny because he wanted people happy, so he let things slide, and then nobody was really happy, because there was a lot of stuff that happened that he let slide, or didn't handle properly. And it made everything so much harder. Now it's by the book with you, like it should've always been." Koepka looked directly at Tw'eak. "It's why I want a transfer. The _Tecumseh_ just feels different to be around people - I see how the crew members just... go about their business, nobody bothers anyone, nobody second-guesses anyone, they're just expected to be competent. And they care about it. I want to be able to do that again - away from all these other people I don't like. There are other ships, lots of them, and they're by the book, from top to bottom." She chuckled. "Maybe we all need to be transferred, have the whole crew broken up and sent to a hundred different ships."

"I don't think that's possible."

"Might not be such a bad thing if the ship gets destroyed, even. Then they'd have to - "

"No." Tw'eak curtailed Koepka sharply.

"But with nobody dying, I mean!"

"Never happens. There is always loss of life when a starship is destroyed. You should know better than to talk like that."

"I know, but - I was just saying, then they wouldn't have a ship to keep us together on. So they'd have to split people up, whoever was left, or... something."

"This is what I'm talking about, Ensign. You can't speak that freely to me, not like that." Tw'eak tapped her collar, and its rank insignia. "Not while I'm wearing these."

"I know. You can't just put rank aside."

"No. Not ever." Tw'eak shrugged. "You wouldn't want me to, if what you've just told me from before is true."

"You're right... it's just that I don't have any friends on board. They all think they know me, because I was with Jon, and they know him, and now it's like I'm just his 'girl', which I hate - it was such a stupid mistake, for us to be so public and obvious, and I know that now, but they're not seeing me as a fellow officer, just, like, a 'girl', and I hate it. I really do love him, and I hate how..." Koepka took a deep breath, seemingly on the verge of crying. "God, this is all so stupid. I just want him to be okay."

"I can understand that. We're all worried about our ship, and we all have people aboard that we'd like to see again." Tw'eak realized she didn't have anyone of the sort - she was too new to the ship and her rank made friendship difficult at the best of times - but she focused on what Ensign Koepka needed to hear. "Still, you should know that I'm going to be advising Lieutenant Sagittori to be more... conscious of his rank. And yours." It was the most delicate way Tw'eak could explain, to the ensign who loved him, why she would be instructing him in no uncertain terms to restrict his involvement with her to bridge duty - exclusively.

Koepka looked at the floor. "I understand. And that's the other part of it - the transfer, I mean. Maybe if I'm not on the ship, Jon and I... we can be together someday." She shook her head. "If - I mean, if that's what he wants. I think it is, he just can't say it. Who knows, maybe by the time he does, it won't be what I want anymore."

Tw'eak nodded. "I'll take your request under advisement. I'll have to clear it with the captain as well, you understand. A helm officer isn't easily replaced, especially not one with as much potential as you have."

"You think so?" Koepka asked.

"My turn to be frank." Tw'eak gave a half-smile. "You've got the right approach - to the helm station, at least. I know you probably doubt yourself, but nobody else on that bridge doubts your piloting ability. Still, on the bridge, duty is more than just one station. The whole crew depends on us to direct their actions and to set the right tone. Part of that means following the rules. Regulations - all of them - are in place for a reason."

"I am - I mean, I always was, but..."

"You listened to your heart, Ensign. Sure, that might be against regs, but that doesn't mean it's something you should be ashamed of - or reprimanded for, really, either." Tw'eak's smile became more sincere. "I think transferring is the proper choice to make, if you sincerely want to be together. Exceptions are very rare unless one of the officers is in overall command, and I've seen those exceptions tear relationships apart, too - the stress of duty takes over your life, at home and at work, if you will. Still, a transfer isn't a quick fix. It may take a while for a position to open up, unless you just take any old posting, and that's not worth it either. Plus, it won't be any easier - you might be at opposite ends of the galaxy from each other."

"I know. And I know Jon doesn't want that, he wants me around. We both want that."

Tw'eak nodded. "Well, you can always settle down on the same penal colony together after the court-martial," she deadpanned.

"You'd court-martial us?" Koepka said in alarm. "But I thought-"

"It was a joke." Tw'eak twisted her lips. "Not my best effort, but you see my point."

"Yeah. I don't like it, though."

"No one should." Tw'eak's eyes sparkled for a moment. "But don't sell yourself short by making all your career decisions because you loved someone. In time, with a bit more experience, you could make a very capable senior officer, maybe even in command."

This prospect thrilled Koepka. "Really? You think so?"

"Maybe. Some of Starfleet's best started out like you, with something to prove to someone else - did you know that James Kirk had a senior cadet at the Academy who made his life a living hell?"

"I know that feeling..." Koepka seethed. "Those engineers make me so mad. Rau especially - but she's just one of them."

"For Jim Kirk, that gave him something to prove - both to his bully, and to himself. It seems to have made a difference, though obviously that kind of bullying has no place in Starfleet."

"Didn't Admiral Kirk also hack into the computers to beat that command test they make you take? What's it called, with the freighter?"

"The _Kobayashi Maru_." Tw'eak nodded. "So I've heard. They made it pretty much impossible to do that after the third or fourth time someone changed the test conditions without the instructors knowing it." She straightened her stance. "I'll talk to the captain once we've returned, and let him know that if you decide to make a transfer request, it has my approval. Hopefully he won't have any reason to object."

"Thank you." Koepka turned to go, then caught herself. "And thank you for believing in me."

"Is it that hard to believe that someone does?" Tw'eak smiled at Koepka, who seemed to blush. "I'll contact you once we know anything."

"Thank you," Koepka repeated, then turned to go.

A chime sounded from Tw'eak's commbadge. "Bridge to Sh'abbas." The voice of Commander Torgrove was once again audible in the room.

Tw'eak tapped her commbadge. "Sh'abbas. Go ahead."

"We're approaching the Briar Patch. Thought you'd like to know."

Tw'eak nodded. "On my way."

Tw'eak nodded, and turned towards the nearest turbolift. Yet the ensign's casual admission had resonated in her own thoughts - assuming _Repulse_ was lost, but the crew were recovered, would it be such a bad thing for Starfleet to fragment the entire crew to different duty assignments? Standard operating procedure was to keep crews from downed ships together, but suppose that wasn't followed in this case. It might be a welcome change for all of them, as Koepka had suggested. Or would they merely all take their bad habits with them to their next assignments?

The turbolift door opened, and after a lieutenant stepped out, Tw'eak made her way inside. She shook her head slightly, trying to brush off her overthinking tendencies. "Bridge," she said, and the lift doors closed in compliance.


	11. Chapter 11

Six hours had passed. Six hours of methodical passage through the Briar Patch, conducting a grid-by-grid search of some of the most dangerous territory in Federation space. No sign of _Repulse_ had been uncovered - but no evidence that _Repulse_ had ever been there in the Briar Patch was unveiled by their searching, either. It was something of a relief to Tw'eak to have any proof of _Repulse_ be so resoundingly absent. The ship was neither found nor discovered to have been destroyed. A firm answer had proven elusive, but a firm answer could potentially mean their crewmates were dead. And so, the nebulous nothingness of their search for answers impelled the starship _Tecumseh_ onwards, through the various clouds and gases of the Briar Patch. It was hard to be hopeful, but paradoxically, hope was not lost.

Tw'eak had taken to hovering just over the shoulder of the _Tecumseh_'s tactical officer, a young Vulcan lieutenant named Sonvak, since he seemed the least likely to be annoyed. An _Excelsior_-class starship was, much like a _Steamrunner_-class starship, one whose bridge put movable space at a premium. Given that he had nowhere to sit, Commander Torgrove walked back and forth between his operations officer at the forward station and the science station aft, where he was now. There wasn't enough room in that space for two commanders, so Tw'eak made way.

The door to the ready room was located forward, to starboard, and through this door came Captain Dorian Collins. She took one look at Tw'eak, who gave a curt shake of the head, and offered a little smile, seemingly knowing that nothing new was waiting to report. Tw'eak appreciated her quiet, keen intelligence and saw in it something she hoped she would emulate if she ever got the chance to command a starship of her own. Everything she had learned about command stressed the importance of looking competent, level-headed and decisive, even if the ship was on fire and chaos reigned all about. This took practice, and Tw'eak noted Collins' every move, in studious observation.

Torgrove turned at the sound of the door opening, and approached the captain. "We've completed grids thirty-one through thirty-six. There are a few possible emission trails, but with all the metreon gas and everything else in there, it's hard to filter out."

Collins moved past Torgrove to the science station. The Trill lieutenant at that station, Lieutenant Rivan, looked up at her as she approached. "We tried looking for spectography, or evidence of manufactured versus natural emissions..."

"Searching for trace residuals from their impulse engines won't do. What about warp plasma?"

Rivan shook his head. "Inconclusive. The computer can't see anything that looks the part."

Collins grimaced, and she looked at Torgrove. "They're out there." She stepped past, and sat in her chair. "But... where?"

"Captain, if I may?" Tw'eak requested.

"Please. This is your ship we're after, any insight you can provide would be welcome."

Tw'eak stepped around Sonvak and stood before Collins. Torgrove came down to take a similar position on the opposite side, forming a sort of triangle. "We know they were being pursued, by one or more Romulan-designed vessels."

"Romulan-designed?" Torgrove asked, quizzically. "Who else could it be?"

"The Reman resistance uses ex-Imperial vessels. And we don't know enough to rule out the possibility of their being involved. We can probably rule out anyone associated with the Republic."

Collins shook her head. "Definitely not the Republic. Not their style. Whoever it is, they have at least one warbird - that's at least one artificial singularity we can try to scan for."

"Correct. And there would be evidence of their being cloaked. I doubt we'd get very far running an antiproton sweep in here, though. And we're only one ship, so a tachyon detection net is off the table, too."

"We could use shuttles to form a tachyon net," Torgrove suggested, "flying close and carefully."

"I'm not risking it," Collins said. "No way. In here, they'd get swamped - and destroyed, too, before we could respond to save them."

Tw'eak nodded. "Exactly. But my point was, I don't think searching for emissions or particle traces will get us anywhere."

"So how do you propose we conduct this search?"

"Rather than particles, we look for people. The actions _Repulse_ took were undertaken by officers, people I know." She turned to the tactical station. "Lieutenant Sonvak, would you mind putting the map of this region on the main viewer for a moment?"

Sonvak hesitated until Collins nodded her approval - another lesson for Tw'eak, as she recognized the signs of their trust in her as their commander, not just letting anyone give them an order. "One moment," Sonvak said, as he called up the map.

"And overlay our search grids and position," Collins said. She looked at Tw'eak. "The Patch is too turbulent, I want to see what we've covered, so we don't get lost."

"Or found, for that matter," Torgrove added. "We should be careful not to run into the Son'a, if we can avoid it."

"Sonvak, can you add in positions of known Son'a installations or colonies in the Briar Patch as well?"

"Indeed." The map on the viewer now included several bright red areas.

Tw'eak stepped forward. "If I know my crew, the captain will have asked Lieutenant Sagittori, my tactical officer, to direct their response. That's why they would've run this far. Sagittori has a bit of ...flair for the heroic, let's say. Which explains why he'd opt for the Briar Patch. Not the most tactically sound maneuver, to be sure, but certainly dramatic."

"In here, it would be," Torgrove joked. "One wrong move, and..." Collins didn't laugh, however, catching Torgrove by surprise. "Boom," he added quietly.

"That may be what he's counting on, but metreon gas pockets and spatial anomalies are no place for that sort of thing. Still, it also tells me that Sagittori's choice came because he sensed himself at a disadvantage, maybe just a perceived one. He's very fond of playing the underdog. This may be why he's trying to use the Briar Patch as a force-multiplier: he doesn't think Repulse can take their pursuers in a stand-up fight. So, instead, they run for it."

"Which gets us to the Briar Patch," Collins observed. "Then what?"

"At the moment _Repulse_ entered, Sagittori would have had access to the same latest-known information - about the Briar Patch, and everything else around it - that Lieutenant Sonvak just used to put this map together. They wouldn't know anything we don't, other than, of course, where they went. So..." Tw'eak turned back to the map, falling silent.

"Well," Collins said after a moment. "So what?"

"I don't know. But..." Tw'eak reached out with her left hand, placing her fingers in an arc along the map with her hand at the position of the Tecumseh on the map. "We're here. They're going fast - faster than they probably should. They may not adhere to the restriction on impulse speeds, might even overlook them if they're running. Then again, they haven't had time to refit their manifolds like this starship has, so maybe they found out the hard way. It wouldn't surprise me. Still, I doubt they're going to do what you're supposed to do in a close-in engagement in a place like the Briar Patch."

"Which is?" Collins asked. "Might be good for me to know."

"Evasive tactics," Torgrove answered. "Random pathing, not a straight line. Z-axis as well."

"Exactly. If I'm right, Sagittori's inexperience will make him run headlong into this, like a wounded ice vole." She narrowed the arc between her fingers. "And he'll be looking for cover." She followed the lines from her hand, outward. "There are some areas here, and here, where there are anomalies which might be worth a closer look, but they're awful close to Son'a territory."

"And we'd have heard from them if they had sent out a distress signal."

Tw'eak nodded at Torgrove. "We hope we'd hear it. The Briar Patch isn't known to disrupt communications, but then, if they were powered down when they were ambushed, they wouldn't have a chance to call for help."

"Not a chance. Son'a ships are known to carry isolytic weapons," Collins added. "My worst nightmare - I studied isolytic radiation and its effects on subspace in my senior year at the Academy. Wish we had time to take a closer look."

"We don't really have the equipment to do that anymore," Torgrove replied.

Collins nodded sadly. "That, too."

Tw'eak continued along. "They're a long way from Ba'ku, and from the Son'a, if they continue on... before long, they leave the Briar Patch altogether."

"Could they just have been passing through? Using it to snarl the Romulans while they got out the other side?"

"Not likely," Tw'eak replied to the captain's question. "They've been gone over eighteen hours. If they'd gone out the other side, either they'd have reported in, or someone would've reported seeing them. Especially if they've taken damage or are otherwise in distress."

"You think it's likely they were destroyed?" Torgrove asked, quietly.

"I haven't ruled anything out, but it'd be my preference not to rule that in... at least, not prematurely." Tw'eak gave Torgrove a smile. "I'm biased, though."

Torgrove nodded in agreement. "I wouldn't want to give up, either."

From behind the three officers, the tactical officer responded to a notification from his station. "Captain," Lieutenant Sonvak advised, "we are receiving a distress signal."

"From who?" Collins asked.

"The Federation starship _Kolibri_. They are under attack by two Romulan warbirds."

"Location?"

"Sector 442, section nine." Sonvak raised an eyebrow. "Forty-seven light-years distant."

"That's behind us, though. Helm?"

The helm officer turned slightly. "Already laid in, Captain."

"How long?"

"About twenty minutes to get clear of the anomalies, then it's a short warp jump to get there."

"Let's hope we're in time." Collins turned to Tw'eak. "I'm sorry that we'll have to cut this short."

"Likewise," Tw'eak replied with an exasperated grin. There was never a good time for a distress signal - but to receive one when searching for another lost ship was bad luck indeed.

"Get us underway, helm. Sonvak, take us to red alert as soon as we clear the field."

"Understood."

Collins stood and came over to Tw'eak's side. "We've got a couple minutes. I need to discuss something with you." She nodded to Torgrove, who understood himself to be in command.

Tw'eak followed Collins into the captain's ready room. The decor was furnished in the usual style, carpeted floors and walls. Tw'eak noted a prominently-displayed plaque bearing the insignia of the since-disbanded Academy Red Squad on one wall. She stood in the centre of the room, facing the captain's desk. "What's this about, Captain?"

Collins didn't cross behind her desk, instead choosing to lean up against it. "I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate what you're doing. It must be difficult."

Tw'eak looked confused. Her serious tone didn't indicate appreciation. "Ma'am?"

"The effort you're putting into trying to find your ship."

"You think they've been destroyed," Tw'eak inferred

Collins raised a hand. "I didn't say that. But I'd just like to caution you, all the same."

"Have I offended you or done something wrong?"

"Not to me, no. But I can only speak for myself."

Tw'eak was becoming very anxious. "With all due respect, I'd like to ask what this is about."

"You strike me as an officer who can manage situations, scenarios, crises, better than she can manage her people." Collins crossed her arms. "You need to take greater care with how you speak of junior officers. We set the example," she continued, indicating the door to the bridge with a raised hand. "They're following it."

Tw'eak narrowed her eyes. "So what am I doing wrong?"

"Not wrong, just... I've known a few Andorians in my time, and I know you folks to be passionate, intense... but you, you're something else - and you're forgetting your people in the process."

"What do you mean?"

"Who's this young lieutenant of yours that you're so eager to openly name as being at fault?"

"I didn't say that he was."

"No, not precisely. But is that what Lieutenant Sonvak heard? Is that what Ensign Tarraven or Lieutenant Commander Torgrove heard? How can you be sure? If you asked, they wouldn't dare answer truthfully - but they'll hear what they think they heard, not what you meant to say. There's a... messaging, I've found, that gets put in their heads, regardless of whether you mean it. Sometimes your rank speaks in ways, and with an inflection, that your voice doesn't intend."

Tw'eak realized she had spoken rather harshly about her tactical officer. In truth, she was more upset about his conduct off-duty, specifically with Ensign Koepka, than with anything he had done in the meantime. Indeed, speaking to Ensign Koepka had inadvertently given her reasons to assess Lieutenant Sagittori even more sharply. She closed her eyes in recognizance. "I made it sound like it's all his fault."

"A little, yeah." Collins leaned back. "At the start of my career, I was onboard the starship _Valiant_. I doubt you've ever heard of it - but that's not what we expected would happen at the time. We expected to be legends - a bunch of Academy kids who stood tall against the Dominion and sent a signal defeat to the Jem'Hadar. And we all got behind our captain, who was one of us, and carried out his orders: to assault and destroy a Jem'Hadar battleship, all on our own." Collins paused. "We never stood a chance."

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Tw'eak offered.

"I survived. I suppose that means I was lucky. But I came to realize how easy it was to get swept up in what someone was saying, just because they were in charge. It's what we do in Starfleet - we come out of the Academy ready to take on the universe and earn our place within it, by following orders, by doing the right thing, for duty, for valour, for the Federation. Thirty-two of my fellow cadets died thinking that was just what they were doing. It was a senseless waste, but it seemed to make perfect sense to me at the time. I was afraid to deny it to myself - that this was my moment, my destiny. I had so much to prove, then. We all did. It's how we lost the _Valiant_." Collins looked down. "I don't tell this story very often, Commander, and in your case, I'm sharing it because, as I said, I appreciate your intensity. It reminds me of someone I knew then. But when you're the one in command, they're all wishing they were just like you... because to them, you're someone who's earned their place in the universe. "

"I understand," Tw'eak said, nodding. Collins was right. She had been so certain of her officers being a failure - and just like overconfidence, a misinformed appraisal of a situation had led her into a false impression, and a mistaken action. Fortunately, the only thing that had come to harm was her own ego. The question of whether she deserved the place she held in the universe crashed through her mind, shaking her confidence.

"I appreciate that you're trying to find a needle in the proverbial haystack, but you can't give any officer - especially not one of your own - the impression that you'll do anything other than take responsibility for their failings, and reward them when they succeed." Collins pointed at Tw'eak. "And it starts with yourself."

"Me?"

"Can I ask how much rest you've gotten of late?" Collins uncrossed her arms, gesturing to herself. "Personally, if it was me, I'd be a nervous wreck, knowing my ship was out there in harm's way - without me aboard, which is the worst part about it."

"Absolutely, it is." Tw'eak shook her head. "I can't rest until we've returned to the _Repulse_. There's... just no way to say it otherwise."

"I thought as much." Collins leaned back. "Which is why you're off-duty until I tell you otherwise."

Tw'eak's antennae flared with shock. "You're relieving me of duty?"

"Not as such, no. It's not my place to do so. But we've got a priority distress signal to handle - my crew and I, I mean. As much as I would appreciate an experienced hand at tactical, I have Sonvak and Torgrove for that - two of the best." Collins smiled at Tw'eak. "Besides, you're a guest onboard my ship, with no particular duties to perform... and I would hope I've given you something to think about in the meantime."

Tw'eak nodded. "Definitely."

"That's what makes good commanders. It's not training or experience, and it's certainly not acting impulsively - it's consideration, reflection, and being seen to have things in control, even when half your ship is on fire and the other half's been boarded." Collins took a step forward. "Be sure of yourself, but be sure that your actions help your junior officers to see the potential they have." She paused as she stepped past Tw'eak. "It's the only way they'll achieve it."

Tw'eak looked forlornly at Collins. "That's what you're doing right now, isn't it?"

Collins had a twinkle in her eye. "Was I that obvious?" She continued walking towards the door. "I just try to be the voice of reason that I wish I'd had to listen to, all those years ago. It's the least I can do - call it the legacy of the starship _Valiant_."

Tw'eak smiled. "I appreciate it."

"That'll be all, Commander. If you need anything, let me know." A swoosh of the automatic open-and-close, and she was gone, leaving Tw'eak with her thoughts. After a moment, she gathered herself and left the ready room, ducking into the adjacent turbolift. Her antennae nearly touched each other in her embarrassment - and yet, despite her blushing shame in her actions, she felt better about herself for having listened to Captain Collins.


	12. Chapter 12

Tw'eak sat alone, in the dark, in her guest quarters. Her mind was completely blank, save for her startled reaction when the ship had gone to red alert a short time before. She couldn't help but shake her head at how she had gotten here. To be clear, of course it wasn't the brig, and no imminent threat of court-martial hung over her, but she felt like a failure. Her mind fanned out into a thousand reasons - excuses maybe? - to explain her conduct. Those reasons seemed rational, to her conscious mind, but those were rational, conscious thoughts. This had been something else.

She went through why she had been so harsh with Sagittori. There was the fact of his tactical competence being questionable, at best. There was his involvement with Ensign Koepka, romantically - almost stereotypical in how it had worked, the lieutenant approaching the naive, socially awkward helm officer and playing up his character as a hero to win her love. Tw'eak also considered that same helm officer, hardly blameless in all this, who intended to request a transfer in order to sustain the relationship.

Was it as simple as that? Tw'eak looked over at the small desk adjacent to the replicator on the wall, with subspace communication to just about anyone mere steps away, and realized her own loneliness. She remembered what Captain Collins had said, that she was more comfortable with strategy than psychology, more at home among threatening adversaries than with her own junior officers. There was considerable truth in this assertion. Seeking command rank had created isolation - a necessary, but by no means welcome, by-product of her position. But she had never quite known how to behave around others anyway.

Her upbringing on Andoria, steeped in the proud traditions of her family, clan, and people, had produced a longing need in her heart - to prove herself to be heroic, and thus worthy of her ancestry. Yet she had, in impudent revolt, fled Andoria on a freighter bound for Vulcan, where she stayed for a time, honing her skills in plasmonic sculpture instead of a career in Starfleet. Her belated Academy years were hardly distinguished as, aside from her aptitude for tactics and combat, she had felt utterly adrift. Classmates who became friends or lovers became strangers before long. Others whom she knew - through dabbling with commitments like competitive sports, musical theatre, and Andorian cultural study - would be left behind as she drifted out of those circles when her interest waned.

There was always family, she had been told, but she had few illusions about them. The oldest of seven children, Tw'eak had lost all four of her brothers, either in Starfleet service or through what was charitably labeled 'misadventure' in polite conversation. Her sisters, Sassil and Dashii, were younger than her - and, to Tw'eak's intense jealousy, both were capable of the Bond, becoming betrothed and joining together with three other Andorians to start families of their own. The Andorian physiology, unlike most other sentient species, differentiated between reproduction and sexual activity. Yet Tw'eak's physiology had only permitted her one of those options. Sh'landas syndrome, as the developmental disorder was known, removed from her the option of starting a family of her own. She envied Koepka, who too would one day perhaps choose to become a mother, possibly with Sagittori, perhaps not. Still, unlike for Twe'ak, the choice was hers to make.

It wasn't that Tw'eak had any aspirations of parenting, since she could barely keep herself together. And her own parents were her role models in that, far better as officers than as parents. Two of them had long since been killed while in Starfleet service, a third, her _zhavey_, a long-serving member of the Judge Advocate General Corps, and the fourth, her charan, holding a prestigious position among Andorians as one of the warrior-custodians who served as guard of honour at the Wall of Heroes. Shore leave or other family-related reasons might bring them together, but they would be separated by duty as soon afterwards as the moment permitted. All save her charan had been desperate to put Andoria behind them. She herself hadn't been back in years, and had little intention of returning any time soon.

The last time she had been on Andoria was after recovering her wayward sister Dashii, who had fallen in love with a roguish freighter pilot and run off, only to find herself in peril once the freighter fell into the hands of Orion pirates. Tw'eak had taken one of the starship _Nelson_'s shuttlecraft, unauthorized, to undertake a rescue. Thankfully, she found once she arrived that her captain had endorsed her reasons for going absent without leave, and had sent a second shuttle, and a detail of Tw'eak's own security team, to support her. Even then, returning to Andoria merely meant dropping off Dashii, along with picking up a case of Andorian ale for her captain as a thank-you gift.

Yet the thought of Andoria was no different from any other planet - it was not a place she felt she belonged. She felt most at home aboard a starship. Or at least, she had, in the recent past. Would she ever feel comfortable aboard _Repulse_, the way she had aboard _Nelson_? There certainly were fewer places to be amicably social with people, especially junior officers. Those of _Repulse_'s crew always seemed to be on edge in her presence. Perhaps that would change, given time. It was the surest sign she had that what she was doing was working. But then, it was also to be expected aboard a starship like-

There was a beep as Tw'eak's commbadge came alive with Captain Collins' voice. "Bridge to Sh'abbas."

Tw'eak tapped the commbadge. "Go ahead, Captain."

"You're not going to believe this, but we've received a hail from the starship _Repulse_."

Tw'eak stood up, involuntarily. "You have?"

"Yes. They're also responding to the _Kolibri_'s distress signal - the same distress signal we're en route to presently." There was a pause. "If you wanted, we could arrange for you and your crew to be beamed aboard prior to our arrival at the intercept point."

Tw'eak shook her head. "Did they - have they explained anything?"

"Perhaps you'd best come up to the bridge. We can discuss what happens next. We're only just getting clear of the Briar Patch, so if you-"

"I'll be right there."

* * *

The red alert klaxons had sounded just as Tw'eak entered the turbolift. Now, as she ascended to the bridge, her mind raced. How in Uzaveh's name did this happen? she thought. The urge to murder - who? all of them, one at a time - rose in Tw'eak's mind. She cleared her throat at her own aggression, trying to check her feelings. The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself in front of the _Tecumseh_'s captain a second time.

The door opened, and Tw'eak saw Captain Collins meet her eye before she stood and walked wordlessly into her ready room. Tw'eak caught a look from Torgrove, who glanced after the captain, indicating that she should follow. Tw'eak merely gave a nod, her antennae flaring outward angrily. She knew enough to be measured in her words, but this was going to be difficult. Her rapid pace brought her within the ready room's confines fairly quickly.

As the door closed behind her, Captain Collins, again seated upon the edge of her desk, gave Tw'eak a big smile. "Computer, seal the door for a minute."

"Door lock engaged, for sixty seconds."

Collins' smile broke into a laugh. "Until I tell you otherwise, computer."

"Door lock engagement time frame is now indefinite."

Collins meshed her hands together across her lap. "This is off the record, just so you know."

Tw'eak's anger had faded, but her concern rose into alarm. "Okay?"

"And - this isn't a reprimand or anything like before. I just wanted to tell you that I had a chance to speak to Captain Corlett directly." She gave a brief nod. "And I'm sorry - you were exactly right."

"About what?"

"Everything. It sounded as though he basically put your tactical lieutenant in charge. If I didn't know better, I'd think I had roused him from a nap."

"You might've," Tw'eak said with a laugh, finally letting her shoulders relax.

"I've known Avery Corlett for a lot of years. I was friends with his wife - his first wife, actually, I should say. She and I served together for a few years. I've never seen him actually in command, though. He never struck me as being... particularly impressive, I'll admit. But if I'd tried to visualize what he'd be like in command at any point, I don't think I would've guessed much different than what I've seen so far from him."

Tw'eak gave a polite smile. "I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to say anything. He is my captain."

"No, I understand. But for me to just... let Torgrove, or one of my lieutenants call the shots without my direct supervision? I'd consider it dereliction of duty."

"I - you said this was off the record, ma'am?"

Collins nodded. "Unless you tell me something truly cataclysmic. Then I might have to intervene personally."

Tw'eak chuckled at the thought of Captain Collins and Captain Corlett getting into it with each other. "I only just got this posting within the past month. If there's work to be done, then I apologize for the impression that I and my crewmates have made, as I'm not terribly happy with things as they are, either."

"That's not on you, Commander. Not in the slightest. I get the feeling you've got your work cut out for you, aboard."

"You're not wrong." Tw'eak's antennae stood upright, a gesture of sincerity approaching understatement.

"I'd hate to ever put my people in a place where they felt they had to do an end-run around me any time they wanted to get anything done."

"Again, I haven't really been onboard long enough to really know what's up. The captain's more or less kept me at arm's length since I came aboard. I've been scheduling and executing more drills than I can count. He's insisted on reaching certain benchmarks, percentage-wise, in terms of response time, that sort of thing."

Collins shook her head. "That never works. We might measure in numbers, but we don't live that way. And excessive drill can damage crew morale."

_At least someone gets it,_ Tw'eak thought. "As I said, I'm still not sure who exactly to blame. His former first officer seems as responsible for the state of the ship as the captain. The crew themselves have gotten used to the lowered expectations, so they haven't taken to the new way of things as quickly or as fully as I hoped." Tw'eak looked down. "And to think I used to say, I like a challenge."

"You still do, admit it. But this is a thousand challenges knotted into one quagmire of a starship." Collins looked off in the distance, shaking her head again. "So what's your next move, then?"

"It's probably best for us to beam back aboard, at first opportunity. I know I'd feel more comfortable if I were there."

"You and me both," Collins quipped.

"I'll try to co-ordinate our response with Commander Torgrove - get a sense of the tactical situation, then begin whatever medical or salvage efforts may be required. Are there any other starships responding to the signal?"

"No. It's just us. I'll have Torgrove play back the message from the _Kolibri_ before you go." Collins straightened up a bit. "I know I was... direct in what I offered as advice earlier."

"No, please. Thank you. I needed to hear it. It's a good lesson for anyone in my position to hear. To tell you the truth, if I had the slightest sense that what I was doing was right, I probably wouldn't act as ...directly as I've been doing." Tw'eak shrugged, with a smile. "It's an Andorian thing."

"As I said before, I don't get into that old story very often. Haven't had reason to re-tell it since Torgrove joined our crew."

Tw'eak's face lit up in a grin. "Maybe you should share that story more often, Captain. It's not the kind that's often told in Starfleet."

"We make legends of our successes, and boards of inquiry out of our failures." Collins leaned back, pensive. "And only one becomes required reading at the Academy."

"Maybe we just need someone to do a better job telling both kinds of stories, then."

Collins gave a sincere laugh. "You've got good instincts, Sh'abbas. You're the kind of officer that people turn to in a crisis, because they know you've already got a plan to overcome it." She leaned in and placed her hands on the desk as she did. "Trust those instincts." She raised her hands to count off on her fingers. "You can teach people rules and regulations, train them in procedures and routines... but what you've got comes from something else." Collins gave Tw'eak a sort of thumbs-up gesture."It's a real strength. And it's one I've seen in every good officer I've ever worked with. Yourself included. Lead with that strength, and they'll follow you - to hell and back."

"Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate it."

"If there's anything I can do - I mean, it won't be much, but if you're ever doubting those instincts, ever unsure that you're doing the right thing... then abuse the priority channel if you have to, so I can give you the subspace ass-kicking you need to get your head back on straight." Collins' huge smile returned.

"I appreciate that. Immensely. Thanks very much." Tw'eak extended a hand and shook Collins', then looked to the door. "I should go get my people to the transporter room. Please give my apology to Commander Torgrove - I had arranged to meet with him later."

"Indeed, I shall. Good luck to you, Commander... and safe travels."

"To you as well. This has been... you've made this whole wayward trip worthwhile just by being there. I'm glad it was you that found us."

Collins merely gave a nod. "Thank you. Same here. But... you'd best be on your way."

"Yes. Thanks again." Tw'eak turned, and left.


	13. Chapter 13

The transporter pad of the starship _Repulse_ hummed to life, as four of its officers returned to its decks. Standing anxiously right next to the transporter chief was Lieutenant Jon Sagittori. At the sight of him, Ensign Koepka's face broke into a smile, while Tw'eak suppressed her reaction as well as she could, conscious of Lieutenant Dyralxia Rau, who was materializing just beside her.

The four officers turned inwards, and Tw'eak, on one of the forward pads, turned to face them. "Home at last. Thank you all. We'll be responding to a distress call momentarily, and as you can see, we're at yellow alert. De-brief reports and any other business should be directed to me no later than eighteen-hundred tomorrow." She nodded. "That'll be all."

"Just wanted to say," Lieutenant Baird began, "thanks for getting us back here in one piece."

"You should've expected nothing less." Tw'eak gave a second nod, with a slight smile, before she turned and walked past the approaching Sagittori. The young lieutenant, stricken at the snub, followed Tw'eak towards a nearby turbolift, with Ensign Koepka close behind. The helm officer barely made it into the turbolift doors before they closed.

"Bridge."

"Do - um..." Sagittori seemed to be deprived of the ability to say more than a few syllables. "Ma'am. Commander - I... do you-"

Tw'eak cut his intermission short. "So, let me see if I understand." She stared directly ahead. "You came under attack by two warbirds, both fairly small ones, T'Varo-class design, and decided your best action, on a starship built for combat, a starship that should have warbirds for breakfast... you elected to run for it."

"I can explain-"

"Worse, perhaps, was your failure to signal your intention or flight plan to Starfleet Command, or to anyone who might have told Starfleet, so that they could provide you with reinforcements - which, I should add, were reinforcements you would not have needed."

"I understand why you're mad," Sagittori sputtered, finally getting a word in.

Tw'eak's eyes met his, intent as a target lock. "No. No, I don't believe you do. Violating established procedures in combat, with a starship under your command? That, you can learn from, assuming you survive." Her gaze then fell upon Ensign Koepka. "But professionalism and integrity come first, in war or peace, Lieutenant." She shot a sideways glance at Sagittori. "That means putting your hero complex second and putting the needs of this starship and her crew way, way further out in front."

Sagittori swallowed hard at the sound of the reprimand. Tw'eak's eyes resumed their vague stare off into the turbolift wall. Koepka looked as if she was about to cry. Then the turbolift doors slid open.

"We'll continue this discussion - and we will be continuing this discussion, all three of us - at a less crucial juncture in time. Until that time, I think you know what I expect of you both." Tw'eak raised her chin slightly. It was hard to try and look imposing when Sagittori and Koepka were both taller than her. But her antennae extended, indicating her sincerity that she intended to follow through. Sagittori and Koepka both burst onto the bridge, hastening to their duty stations. Sagittori brushed against Lieutenant Commander V'Sar along the way, perturbing the Vulcan into raising an eyebrow in protest. To Tw'eak's surprise, the captain's chair was empty. V'Sar was in overall command - and therefore now, by rank, she stood relieved. Tw'eak pursed her lips. The faint hope of a brief respite before the combat had vanished.

"Status report," Tw'eak said to V'Sar.

"All systems nominal. En route to site of distress signal."

"Details of distress signal, please."

"Starship USS _Kolibri_," Sagittori reported, "Starfleet transport, modified _Miranda_-class starship."

"What's her cargo?"

At the tactical station, Lieutenant Sagittori cringed. "We don't know," he said tentatively.

Tw'eak gave Sagittori a deadly glance. "Explain."

"Whatever they're doing out here... it's classified. We can't find out anything about it. No records of the mission, the crew - y'know, I don't even think the _Kolibri_ is crewed. The distress signal was completely automated."

"An improper assertion," V'Sar countered placidly. "However, accessed Starfleet data on the flight profile and ship status of starship _Kolibri_ indicates that the ship was listed as inactive twenty-three months ago. No date was provide to indicate its re-activation."

"So it's a ghost ship?" Koepka offered from the helm.

"Or it's been stolen," Sagittori suggested. "From a starship depot or something."

"Unlikely," V'Sar replied. "There is further no record of its having been assigned to such a depot, nor of its having been transferred or transported to any such depot."

"V'Sar, hail the _Tecumseh_ for me." Tw'eak stepped in front of the captain's chair, careful not to seat herself in it.

"On screen."

The sight of Captain Dorian Collins in her command chair was a familiar sight. "Commander," Collins said, her tone warm. "You've made it back."

"I have. I was wondering if you had any information pertaining to USS _Kolibri_."

"The ship that sent the distress signal?" Collins looked over her shoulder, and her tactical officer shook his head. "Minimal. Why?"

"It's just... they've sent a distress signal, but there are no records or actual proof that they should be there."

Collins nodded. "That's what we found. It gets weirder. Commander Torgrove discovered that the starship _Kolibri_ hasn't been seen in Federation space for two years."

"Two years?" Tw'eak repeated.

"This is the weirder part - the ship wasn't recorded as having been lost, but also has no active mission. That should mean they were decommissioned, but there's no record of that, either. I'm not even getting any indication that there's a classified nature to any of what we've learned. This information just isn't there. If we had more time, I'd be willing to call in a few favours at Command to get a better answer, but we're only a few minutes out, so I doubt we'll hear back from them in time. And that's if they can find out any more than we have."

Tw'eak's antennae rose as she realized something. "The distress signal was automated. Could the whole ship be completely automated?"

"We'll find out. They certainly aren't responding to our hails to introduce themselves."

Tw'eak looked back to V'Sar, who nodded. "Our hails are likewise going unanswered," the Vulcan replied.

"Do you want us to follow your lead?" Collins asked.

Tw'eak was astonished. "You - what?"

"Well, given the circumstances, I thought it fitting. You've got the stronger hand. This old ship has seen plenty of combat, but your ship is built for it from the keel up."

Tw'eak smiled. "You're sure this isn't one of those 'command tests', right?"

Collins reciprocated with a grin of her own. "Uh, that's classified."

"Alright. We'll go in first, try to engage them and draw them off. Provide whatever assistance you can, remain ready to contact Starfleet on subspace if we need reinforcements, we'll try and cover if they move to engage you instead."

"You mean, you 'will cover us, no matter what', right?"

Tw'eak's smile became slightly embarrassed. "You can count on us."

"That's what I wanted to hear. Sonvak, condition red." The lights of _Tecumseh_'s bridge dimmed. "Good hunting, Commander."

Tw'eak gave a satisfied nod. "To us all. _Repulse_ out." V'Sar cut the channel, and Tw'eak turned to Sagittori. "Red alert, Lieutenant." She took a step closer after a moment. "Second chance."

"I won't let you down," Sagittori whispered. "I mean it."

The ready room doors opened, and Captain Corlett stepped onto the bridge. "Status?" he inquired.

"Responding to distress signal as previous," V'Sar replied. "Currently at red alert. Shields are up."

"And what have we learned about this starship... the _Kolibri_?"

"Sensors are scanning now. Starship _Kolibri_ shows... unusual characteristics - Commander." V'Sar's eyes registered alarm, which scared Tw'eak - if V'Sar was showing such strong concern, the proper response was probably to panic. Instead, Tw'eak calmly stepped to V'Sar's side, where the lieutenant commander indicated, quietly, her findings. "It is difficult - there appear to be several jamming fields engaged within the area from where the distress signal originated, however..." V'Sar's voice sounded almost alarmed. "The starship _Kolibri_ shows signs of partial assimilation."

"They didn't say anything about that in the distress signal," Tw'eak replied, her voice lowered as well.

"Indeed," V'Sar replied, her eyebrow fully arched.

"What's going on?" Corlett demanded.

"We're just confirming it now, sir." Tw'eak stalled for a moment, examining the findings. Sure enough, the _Miranda_-class design showed signs of Borg technology embedded in its hull, though its unassimilated portion - mostly the forward section of the saucer - retained its registry visibly. "Yeah. The distress signal we're responding to - the starship _Kolibri_ is emitting - there's something there that... They've been assimilated."

"They're Borg?" Ensign Koepka exclaimed.

"Not all Borg," Sagittori affirmed. "Only partly. Most of the starship hull and warp drive remains intact, although their power readings... I can't believe they're putting out that much power from a _Miranda_."

"How is that possible?" Corlett asked, approaching the station. Since there was no space for him, Tw'eak stepped backwards, moving over to stand beside Sagittori. "This is remarkable. It shouldn't be possible." Corlett tapped his commbadge. "Lieutenant Raxx, to the bridge, please." He turned back to V'Sar. "I want comprehensive scans of this. Every level of analysis you can give me."

"May I inquire as to why, Captain?"

Corlett paused for a moment. "Just do it."

Tw'eak and Sagittori exchanged meaningful glances. "What's the tactical disposition of the _Kolibri_?" Corlett asked aloud.

"They're using some sort of regenerative shield... but they don't have any weapons. Not that are active, anyway - no sign they have any weapons that are active, and they don't seem to be equipped with a torpedo launcher at all." Sagittori looked up at Tw'eak. "Don't know why the Romulans are even after them. They aren't shooting back."

"Certain damaged sections of the hull appear to be regenerating," V'Sar said, before tilting her head. "Incoming hail from the _Tecumseh_."

"On screen," Tw'eak and Corlett said at the same time.

Tw'eak's eyes met Corlett's, and she gave a nod of submission. Corlett stepped forward and sat in his command chair. "On screen," he repeated as he sat down.

Captain Collins once again appeared on the viewscreen. Tw'eak felt a streak of envy, and acknowledged the feeling as proof that she would have been much happier working under her command instead. "Avery," Collins said, surprised. "Good to see you again."

"I trust my officers didn't put you to too much trouble, Dorian," Corlett said, his eyes glancing at Tw'eak. It was a surprise to Tw'eak to hear the captain refer to anyone by their first name. Tw'eak had half-expected his own wife and children to refer to the stuffy captain by rank alone, even at home.

"Nothing of the sort. They're a fine group you have there. But - about the _Kolibri_. Are you reading signs of Borg presence onboard?"

"Yes, we're investigating further now." Corlett gestured vaguely aft towards V'Sar. "I'd love nothing more than a straight answer."

Collins hesitated for a moment. "Those warbirds they reported seem to be using hit-and-fade tactics, according to my first officer."

"That would be my appraisal as well," Tw'eak replied. "Wolfpack."

Corlett looked over at Tw'eak, somewhat astonished. " 'Wolfpack'?"

"They're striking the same target from multiple directions before concealing themselves again." Tw'eak looked at Collins. "That actually doesn't make sense, in this context, since it's not like Kolibri is defending itself. Maybe they're trying to wear down the regenerative sh-"

"Thank you, Commander." Corlett turned back to Collins, and Tw'eak fought to swallow her frustration at being so curtly dismissed. "They want to strike at the _Kolibri_ one at a time, then that's how we'll take them down - one at a time."

"But sir, that will only be possible if they don't withdraw under-"

"Either way," Corlett said to Collins, once again ignoring Tw'eak, "between the two of us, we'll get that starship safely back on its way again."

Collins leaned over towards Torgrove for a moment. Whatever words her first officer said were lost to the distance between their bridge and _Repulse_'s. "My XO was just advising me that we should be alert to a possible ambush."

"Thank you," Tw'eak whispered angrily. She had reached the same conclusion. This was clearly a trap of some kind - for the Romulans, presumably the Tal Shiar, to be after this ship, so far from their seat of power, was concerning enough, especially given how much effort the starship _Kolibri_ was making to avoid being seen or known to even exist. These smaller warbirds were keeping the _Kolibri_ busy, at best, slowing it down until... what? The likely answer was that a larger command vessel would become involved before long. The _Kolibri_ would then be dealt with, as would the starships _Repulse_ and _Tecumseh_ \- easy prey for such a large formation of Romulans. It was the likely tactic, but Tw'eak had no concrete proof as yet. There were too many unknowns to reach a conclusion - so being ready for anything was the expected approach.

Corlett shook his head, though. "Ambush or not, I think we've held back long enough," he said to Collins. "We've got a bit of a score to settle."

"Just be careful," Collins said, her eyes on Tw'eak. "We'll move into position behind you and provide support - see if we can't get a straight answer for you."

"Fine, if that's what you'd rather." Corlett looked at Sagittori. "We can handle them, can't we."

Sagittori nodded, uneasily, before his eyes met Tw'eak's.

"All right, then, Dorian, we'll get to the bottom of this soon enough. Let us know if you discover anything further. Corlett out." Corlett gave a brief look over his shoulder at V'Sar, who closed the channel. He then took a second look backwards, annoyed. "Where is Raxx?"

Sagittori and V'Sar both looked at the empty science station. V'Sar tapped her commbadge. "V'Sar to Raxx."

"Raxx."

"The captain has requested-"

"I'm in the turbolift, damn it, just wait."

At this, the turbolift door opened, and Lieutenant Raxx emerged, adjusting his uniform tunic. "Don't - just don't. I couldn't get here any faster," he protested, arms spread wide. He continued to give a vicious glare to V'Sar, who met it with the standard-issue Vulcan eyebrow.

Corlett sprang from his chair. "Take a look at this, Raxx," he said, approaching hurriedly.

"Commander," Sagittori said softly.

Tw'eak looked away from Raxx and Corlett. "What's up?"

"I took a closer look at the scans... those warbirds that are attacking..."

"And?"

"They're not the same ones we ran from earlier. They can't be."

Tw'eak leaned in towards the tactical console. "How can you be sure?"

"They're using a sort of hybrid plasma-disruptor weapon. The weapons on the warbirds that chased us into the Briar Patch were standard plasma beam weapons and torpedoes."

"So these warbirds look the same, but they're more advanced?"

"Exactly. Which means they'll hit harder."

Tw'eak nodded. "Good catch, Lieutenant." The questions in Tw'eak's mind multipled, as did her anxiety. She looked at the distance and the trajectory information listed on the tactical display. Seventeen seconds to engagement distance. Not nearly enough time to figure out the answers. "Damn," she muttered, looking up at the streaking stars on the viewscreen before her, lost in the enigma of the current situation.


	14. Chapter 14

Somewhere in the interstellar space of the Celes sector, the starship _Kolibri_ continued on its course, unable to return to warp. Meanwhile, a series of repeated assaults from a swarming trio of Romulan _T'Varo_-class warbirds - each cloaking after discharging their forward weapons, only to reappear from another unexpected quarter - dogged its progress. Occasionally the weapons strikes from their disruptors and torpedoes would slam home, a critical hit against one system or another, but _Kolibri_'s shields and systems resumed full status again in short order.

Just in front of this melee, at _Kolibri_'s forward starboard side, the starship _Repulse_ arrived out of warp-speed travel, followed closely by the larger _Excelsior_-class starship _Tecumseh_.

"Hailing frequencies," Captain Corlett requested.

"Open, sir," Lieutenant Commander V'Sar replied.

"This is Captain Avery Corlett of the Federation starship _Repulse_. To all belligerent craft in the immediate vicinity: this will serve as your only warning. Desist and depart, or be destroyed."

This was a line well-worn in the ears of Corlett's bridge officers - the precise same wording, on each they had engaged an adversary over the past four years. For some, like V'Sar, it was a matter of routine. But Tw'eak saw Lieutenant Sagittori, to her immediate right, shake his head, his expression pinched. "Every time," he muttered.

"No response to our hail," V'Sar noted. In the lowered light of the bridge during red alert, Tw'eak almost thought she saw concern in the Vulcan's facial expression.

"Full power to weapons - Mr. Sagittori, lock onto the nearest warbird and fire."

Sagittori looked down in alarm. "They've - they're all - they've all cloaked, Captain."

"Well, good. I'm more interested in that starship anyway."

Tw'eak looked down at the tactical console. "Take a look for weapons residue," she said to Sagittori. "They aren't leaving yet."

"Weapons residue?" Sagittori asked.

"Yeah. Plasma weapons - the heat of the emissions coils can sometimes be tracked right through a cloak, especially if they've fired recently. Plus, disruptors emit particles that we can track. Hybrid weapons mean two ways to search."

"I'll see what I can-"

"Mr. Sagittori," the captain said, "lay down a blind-fire pattern around - keep an eye out for weapon impacts."

Sagittori looked at Tw'eak. "Readying firing pattern," he said. His eyes were full of anxiety. Tw'eak quickly leaned over and read the tactical console, then input a refined sensor scan to seek heat patterns or other plasma trail residue. Within a few moments, teardrop patterns began to emerge in the space around _Repulse_. "Targeting - firing!"

While some of the shots from _Repulse_'s beam arrays were obvious misses, other beams came to sudden, satisfying ends. It only took a moment for Sagittori to repeat the same firing pattern, and for the starship _Tecumseh_ to join in, targeting impacts in the surrounding space with their own phasers. One of the warbirds decloaked, stricken, and turning towards _Repulse_, it opened fire.

"Stay with them," Tw'eak instructed. "Helm - turn and face!"

Ensign Koepka responded wordlessly, and _Repulse_ came around to bring its torpedo tubes to bear. As the _Steamrunner_-class starship's forward beam banks fired, _Tecumseh_ let loose with a torpedo spread of their own. Tw'eak reached across Sagittori to input a command to the torpedo - maximum, high-yield explosion. Within moments, the torpedo showed green - ready. As _Repulse_'s phasers struck home once again, the warbird's shields buckled, then fell offline - just as Sagittori pressed the 'launch' button. Within moments, as _Repulse_ sailed over, the warbird was devastated by the photon torpedo's impact, and rolled over, inert. Within its hull, the artificial singularity which powered it lost its containment, and the subsequent implosion sucked it, and the space around it, into oblivion. After a few moments of inescapable, uncontrolled gravity, the warbird was no more.

"One down," Sagittori said with satisfaction.

But Tw'eak saw the danger - the remaining two warbirds had emerged from their hiding, and were in a perfect firing position above, and behind, _Tecumseh_. "Close the range, helm."

The burst of the plasma disruptors, and a pair of high-yield plasma torpedoes, struck the upper shields of the starship _Tecumseh_. Undaunted, they fired back - their own dorsal phaser banks counter-punching into one of the warbirds. Sagittori locked onto the other as his target, and as _Repulse_ came about, her weapons fire danced across the _Tecumseh_'s shields, three of the five beams hitting the target warbird as intended.

"Lead them," Tw'eak said quietly to Sagittori. "Moving targets."

"I know, I know." Sagittori shook his head with frustration at having missed his shot.

Now the target warbird came directly at _Repulse_, breaking off from its counterpart, which began vanishing into its cloak - just as another of _Tecumseh_'s phaser beams struck its warp nacelle. The cloaking effect became temporary as the warbird's shields attempted to re-engage, and the Romulan craft sharply changed course. Within moments, it leapt away at warp speed. That left one target remaining. As the last warbird crossed _Repulse_'s beam, Tw'eak had already prepared the aft torpedoes to fire. Now, she let them loose, and they fanned outwards into a spread, converging near the evasive warbird with a satisfying burst of explosions that seemed to cause little damage.

The warbird came about, its few aft weapons locking onto targets, and sent a trio of high-yield plasma torpedoes hurtling towards _Tecumseh_, _Kolibri_ and _Repulse_. After a moment's flight, it became clear that the intended target of the slow-moving torpedoes was _Tecumseh_. Captain Corlett turned sharply to Sagittori. "Target," he said, pointing to the torpedoes on the viewer.

Sagittori quickly input a firing solution and the phasers fired again, this time taking down two of the torpedoes. _Tecumseh_'s own phasers were able to neutralize the third. But the warbird had vanished, using the confusion of the high-yield torpedoes in order to escape under cloak.

"The Romulans appear to be disengaging," V'Sar observed.

"They're legging it," Sagittori said confidently. "We showed 'em."

But Tw'eak wasn't so sure. She was about to say something when a much larger warbird - this one _Scimitar_-class - de-cloaked and came into sight the viewer, directly in the path of the starship _Kolibri_. In a moment, it had caught the _Miranda_-class vessel in a tractor beam - and two _T'Varo_-class warbirds decloaked on either side of it.

"We are being hailed," V'Sar said after a moment.

"Put it on screen." Corlett glanced back towards Tw'eak. "What's this about, I wonder?"

Tw'eak shook her head, concerned. Sagittori's pointing finger drew her attention to the tactical console. "Warbird shows to be the IRW _Leahval_." Tw'eak looked up at the screen. "That's impossible. That's Sela's flagship - it disappeared over Brea III..."

"Sensors indicate the _Leahval_ is emitting thalaron radiation," V'Sar advised, as placidly as if she were offering a weather report. "Their weapons are currently armed."

"Thalaron-!?" Corlett stood up, involuntarily. "They can't be serious."

"They're locking weapons on the _Kolibri_," Sagittori added.

"Hail them!" Corlett pleaded.

After a moment, V'Sar tilted her head slightly. "No response."

"Can we engage them?" Corlett asked Tw'eak.

Tw'eak considered the scenario. There was no way she could see that they would all survive - the best-case scenario was that only one of the three starships would be destroyed, but taking down the _Leahval_, and its escorts, without loss, seemed incredibly long odds indeed. She shook her head. "Let me think."

"Captain!" Ensign Koepka cried out. On the screen, the telltale signs of a _Scimitar_ building up to thalaron weapons deployment were evident - its 'wings' extended into a multi-part puffed-up appearance, rearing in space like a cobra. This explained why the _T'Varo_-class warbirds were staying to either side - the area in front of the _Leahval_ was about to become subject to an intense bombardment of thalaron radiation, and in the process, any organic matter or other compounds caught therein would be annihilated.

"That's what they're after..." Tw'eak mused. The Borg technology aboard the _Kolibri_ was their intended prize, and the thalaron radiation would ensure that none of the troublesome Starfleet personnel - if any were aboard - would stand in their way. Unless the _Kolibri_ had some secret weapon to defend itself, it was doomed. Even its regenerative shield couldn't block the sheer volume of saturation it was about to produce. If only there was some other way to prevent the _Leahval_ from -

"Helm!" Corlett called out. "Get us back to a safe distance."

"Belay that," Tw'eak said, her voice almost trembling with certainty. "Put us right in front of that ship."

"Are you insane?" Sagittori cried.

But Tw'eak didn't hesitate. She moved past the tactical console, to Koepka's side. "Put us right between them and the _Kolibri_."

"What if I don't want to?" Koepka asked, before meekly complying.

"Helm - do as I said and back us off," Corlett declared. "What in the hell do you think you're doing with my ship, Commander?"

Tw'eak looked past Corlett. "V'Sar, do we have any readings of a crew being present aboard that ship?"

"We have yet to establish communications with _Kolibri_'s crew."

"Sensors? Is anyone aboard?"

"Uncertain," the Vulcan reported. "The _Kolibri_ is running a scrambling field which I am unable to penetrate with our sensors."

"Even on the direct scans you had Raxx take," Tw'eak added. "Yet here are the Romulans, targeting them for a thalaron purge."

"Explain," Corlett demanded.

"Thalaron weapons destroy organic matter, specifically - with limited effect on inorganic material, such as most technologies. If that starship was unmanned, there would be no use. Aside from maybe bio-neural gel packs, the thalaron blast would be of limited effect against that ship - there'd be no one aboard to kill."

"We have not conclusively established that to be true.," V'Sar noted.

"No, but... it is true of the Borg. They're not just technology, there's a living, organic component." She raised a hand to Corlett. "Let me do this."

Corlett hesitated, then huffed.

"There isn't much time, Captain."

Corlett's sour expression was followed with a wave of the hand. "Go ahead."

"Go, Ensign," Tw'eak said, touching Koepka on the shoulder as she did. "Out in front."

The starship _Repulse_ leapt forward. On the screen, the _Leahval_ went from a distant, ominous shape to a threatening presence, filling the viewscreen.

"Hailing frequencies, V'Sar."

"I would remind the Commander that previous attempts have been made."

"I'm aware of that." Tw'eak looked back - not as much at V'Sar as at Corlett. "I think they'll be willing to talk to us, now that we've sent them a message they can't ignore."

V'Sar looked unimpressed - a typical Vulcan expression, but somewhat moreso than was typical. "Hailing frequencies open."

"This is the Federation starship _Repulse_ hailing Imperial warbird _Leahval_. Stand down and disengage your thalaron weapons, or..." Tw'eak couldn't think of what to say for a split-second. Threatening them wouldn't work. Nor would appealing to their sense of morality or order. Order. That was it. "...or risk interstellar war."

Corlett shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Tw'eak could hear Sagittori take a deep breath.

"Use of thalaron weapons in Federation space will be regarded as an act of aggression - especially should said thalaron weapons destroy a Federation starship which has responded to the distress signal of another."

The screen blinked on. A seated Romulan in Imperial garb, his hairline receding, his face stunned, stared intently downwards upon Tw'eak. "You've taken leave of your senses, clearly."

"Who are you? Where's Sela?"

"Who are you to speak of our Empress in such an insolent manner?"

Tw'eak refused to answer. "I asked you first. Identify yourself."

"Subadmiral Caedus of the Imperial Romulan Navy. Now, who are you?"

"Me?" Tw'eak smiled, "I'm the one in your way."

"You have no idea what it is you're protecting - what you're laying down your life, and the lives of your crew, to protect."

"I don't need to know. That starship bears a Federation registry, as does mine. And you're in Federation space, carrying weapons banned by interstellar treaty."

"Scan the ship yourself! Are you blind?"

"Far from it. I can read - right there on the hull." Tw'eak gave a slight smile and continued in a sarcastically saccharine tone. "One of the nice things about Federation starship design - we print who we are on our ships, big number, right out front... United Federation of Planets."

"So you admit the Federation has fully integrated Borg technology aboard that starship. Or can you not see that, right out visibly on the ship, as well?"

"I admit nothing." Tw'eak's voice resumed its normal tone, deadly serious, and she pointed to a space beyond, indicating the _Kolibri_. "We don't know any more than you do. Our sensor readings are inconclusive, and yeah, maybe we'd like our answers. We don't typically get those answers by firing thalaron weapons first and asking questions later, however."

"We've known all along - for years - that the Federation were seeking to use Borg weapons and technology to their advantage. And now we have the proof we need."

"Proof of what, exactly? Your sensors are jammed, same as ours. What are you going to do, take a picture?"

Caedus ignored Tw'eak's point. "Putting an end to this abomination of a starship will be seen as proof of our goodwill, and that of the Star Empire we represent. Your time of concealing your despicable actions in a cloak of goodwill and self-defense will finally be exposed to the entire galaxy."

"We're not the ones in the wrong here, Subadmiral. Or need I remind you again?" Tw'eak narrowed her eyes. "You are in Federation space. Withdraw."

"This is your final warning," Caedus raged. "Get out of our way."

Tw'eak let a moment pass without saying anything. She took a closer look at her fingernails, taunting Caedus.

The Romulan took the bait, raging. "Did you not hear me? Move aside."

"I'm not the one who has to move, Subadmiral." She took a step closer. "Leave Federation space now or risk interstellar war," she repeated.

"So be it. Let the deaths of your crew be your legacy, then."

"I'm warning you again - withdraw, immediately." Tw'eak looked up for a brief moment, then added, "and consider that my final warning."

"Such foolishness! Do you realize what you're up against?"

"Do you?" Tw'eak tilted her head slightly, her voice rising, agitated. "This is Federation space, and this Federation starship is defying you, in defense of its own. Now, this defense of ours may not count for much, on its own, but your aggression against us - in this space, here and now - might just cost you everything. You pull that thalaron trigger of yours - go ahead - and Starfleet activates every resource at its disposal to see to it that you and your ridiculous Empire will live to regret your decision." Tw'eak paused for emphasis, her eyes widening. "Count on it."

"You-" Caedus laughed. "You really expect me to believe that?"

"Go ahead and pull that trigger, if you want to find out." Tw'eak stared into Caedus' eyes, intent. "But I've already signalled Starfleet Command of our situation here, and I'd imagine reinforcements are inbound." She smiled. "I'm gonna be nice, just this once, and remind you that I issued a final warning a few minutes ago. Release our vessel from your tractor beam and withdraw immediately." Her smile disappeared. "Or start thinking up the excuses you'll give to Sela."

A further reference to the Empress finally seemed to irk Caedus into shutting the conversation down. Tw'eak held her breath. The threatening posture of the _Scimitar-_class warbird remained unchanged on the viewscreen.

"Holy shit," Sagittori said before raising a hand in apology.

"That... was completely unnecessary, Commander," Captain Corlett advised.

Tw'eak turned slowly. "I disagree. If you object, I'll stand down."

"No... no, we're in it now." Corlett frowned.

"The warbirds appear to be disengaging," V'Sar advised.

Indeed, on the screen, the tractor beam hovering over _Repulse_, which had latched onto the _Kolibri_, had been released, and the _Leahval _made a slow, deliberate turn away, its escorts falling in behind it, as all activated their cloak with near-simultaneous precision.

"I said it before, but let me say it again," Lieutenant Sagittori said after a moment. "Holy shit."

Tw'eak crossed her arms and stared at Corlett. "What would you prefer I do instead, Captain?" She shrugged. "For next time, I mean."

"We'll discuss that in my ready room." Corlett stood and marched out, his tone seemingly furious.

Tw'eak stood there for a moment. "Gutsiest move I ever saw, ma'am." Sagittori's voice sounded deeply impressed. "I'm never playing poker with you."

"Yeah," Koepka added. "I thought we were all dead for sure."

"There are a lot of questions that need answering from all of this." Tw'eak looked to V'Sar. "Back me up on this if I'm wrong, but we had no way of tracking or even sensing the approach of the _Kolibri_ until it sent a distress signal."

The Vulcan gave a brief nod. "That is essentially correct."

"Which leads me to ask - how the Romulans were even able to find them in the first place?"

"They would've had to know what they were looking for," Sagittori mused. "We know they're notorious for espionage."

"No, I don't think that's it." Tw'eak looked back to V'Sar. "I think they've given themselves away."

From behind V'Sar, the blue-skinned figure of Lieutenant Raxx stood up. "All Borg are in constant communication with each other," he said. "It's part of their collective identity."

"Presumably, the Borg technology aboard the starship _Kolibri_ is also utilizing such a method of communication," V'Sar added.

"Exactly. Which means the Star Empire has Borg technology of their own that's in development."

"What?" Raxx was astonished. "That's quite a leap in thinking."

"Not at all. Partially or previously assimilated people will still hear the voices of the collective if they're close enough."

"So you're thinking the Tal Shiar are using Borg drones as..." Raxx was incredulous. "As hounds? To track our research projects?"

V'Sar raised an eyebrow. "That would be consistent with the commander's hypothesis."

"It's just a hypothesis," Raxx insisted.

"So find me proof," Tw'eak retorted. "Direct proof. One way, or the other. I'm willing to be wrong on this, but I don't think I am"

"But why did the Romulans attack that ship?" Koepka asked. "They didn't harm it - and it didn't shoot back."

"They were clearly trying to slow them down," Sagittori mused. "Long enough for thalaron smackdown."

V'Sar nodded. "It is equally plausible that they themselves have encountered a severe setback, in which case their assault would be intended to deny us progress they themselves were otherwise incapable of achieving."

"There's a reason they came looking for the _Kolibri_," Tw'eak added. "We need to figure it out." She took a few steps towards the captain's ready room. "Now... find me some answers - confirm or deny, just get me a solid reason why that all just happened." She turned. "I'll be in with the captain."


	15. Chapter 15

The interior of Captain Avery Corlett's ready room was, as with most of the rest of the ship, hardly one that could be considered large. There were a few random pieces of ancient technology - including one he called a 'juke box' - about the place, representing his particular interest in obsolete designs and functions. Tw'eak had heard enough about each of them - one a device called a 'blender', another something called a 'flip phone' which vaguely resembled a communicator, along with an earlier model of phaser rifle, and a 22nd-century tricorder - to know what she was looking at, but it still felt oddly out of place onboard a starship. There was also the requisite scale model of the starship _Repulse_, which the captain had taken into his hands for closer examination.

"Captain?"

Corlett looked up from an intent gaze. "I don't think I need to explain my concerns."

"Given the circumstances, I saw that maneuver as our best recourse."

"I don't know about '_best_', Commander." Corlett turned the model starship over in his hands, before returning it to its stand. "It's a more fragile thing than we might think, a starship. So many working parts, so many systems all balanced together."

Tw'eak suppressed the urge to describe the asymmetry in the _Repulse_'s warp field, its misaligned deflector, or the other few engineering details she had learned during her time aboard the starship _Tecumseh_. "I felt the risk was justified. We can't risk letting the Romulans feel emboldened enough to start pushing into our territory like that."

"They had their reasons, surely."

"Surely. But the Romulans' reasons aren't our concern - not when a fellow Starfleet vessel is threatened in Federation space."

"You're correct," Corlett conceded, before raising a finger. "Fundamentally, that is. Whatever it may be hiding, the starship _Kolibri_ out there is, as you stated to the subadmiral, marked clearly as a Federation vessel."

"Exactly."

"But you can't deny that something is very strange about all of this."

"To you, in here? Of course I can't. It's unusual - and I question whether it's right. But to the Romulans?" Tw'eak shook her head. "No. Whatever the Romulans want, I'd give them everything but. If they asked, I'd deny I had antennae. Romulans don't respect anything but aggressive tactics."

"Nor do you, it seems."

Tw'eak's eyes narrowed. "Now, hold on a minute. What are you basing that upon?"

"Your wilful risking of our lives and this starship. That wasn't just aggressive, it was reckless, what you were doing."

Tw'eak shook her head. "Forgive me, Captain, but I didn't hear you quote a precise regulation there."

"I don't have to, if you can't abide by them."

Confused, Tw'eak's antennae angled forward, her aggressive tendencies rising. "I'm not the one in the wrong here, as I've said before. Are - are you suggesting that we should have let the Romulans destroy a starship bearing a Federation registry, possibly with Starfleet crew members aboard, in Federation space?"

"Not in the slightest."

"But 'they had their reasons', you suppose."

There was a chime from the intercom. V'Sar's voice interrupted. "Captain. I have Captain Collins of the starship _Tecumseh_ to speak with you."

"Tell her I'll get back to her," Corlett said with a dismissive wave of the hand, his eyes never leaving Tw'eak's. "Corlett out." He leaned in slightly. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear. Next time you go risking my starship in trying to measure up to a Romulan, you do it with my approval first."

"I thought I had your approval." Tw'eak tilted her head. "Silence, after all, implies consent. If you had objections, they should have been raised."

"There wasn't time. You had already catapulted us into harm's way by then."

"Regardless, you would have been within your rights and your duty, at any moment, to demand on your authority as captain that I stand down and withdraw." Tw'eak's voice became ice cold and she crossed her hands behind her back. "Would the Captain wish to review the regulations which govern the concept known as captain's prerogative?"

Corlett leaned back in his chair, unwilling - or perhaps unable? - to argue further. "I can see there's no making sense of this to you."

"Then explain to me where I was in the wrong. Should I have let them destroy another Federation starship, right in front of us?"

"No, but..." Corlett trailed off. Exasperated, he sputtered out, "you didn't have to put us in such danger."

"It was a calculated risk."

Corlett's eyes widened, his voice growing angry again. "You mean you actually considered that maneuver ahead of time? It wasn't just - just some random stunt you pulled?"

"The position of greatest threat was in front. They were tethered to the _Kolibri_ by their tractor beam. We took a position that was just beneath - surely they remember the fate of the original _Scimitar_. Putting us in a place where our ramming them at full impulse became a plausible next move increased our tactical disposition considerably."

Astonished, Corlett laughed in spite of himself, his hands falling open on the desk in front of him. The model of the starship _Repulse_ toppled onto the desk's surface. "So you admit it. You would've destroyed this vessel to set a - to do what, exactly, beyond start a war? 'Remember the _Repulse_,' their battle cry..."

Tw'eak was extremely measured in her cadence. "I put us there so they couldn't miss. And I put it in those terms so that Subadmiral Caedus would have to think twice. And in the end, that's just what they did. I calculated, based on my understanding of Romulans, that a decisive show of potential threat would be more effective than asking for them to leave from a distance. As it was, the starship _Tecumseh_ was right there, and if we were in any form of serious distress, they would have interevened. Or, more likely, sent a request for reinforcements." She lowered her eyebrows slightly. "If that means war, then it was their provocation that led us to it - but appeasing them by offering to stand aside was never a tenable option. The situation was forced upon us. So, I played it out."

"You played it out," Corlett repeated. "And for what? For a handful of... of Borg?"

"We don't know who the crew of the _Kolibri_ are - if it even has a crew to speak of."

"Maybe that's where we should start looking for answers next." Corlett stood up. "But let's make one thing clear, Commander. Whatever... reckless tendencies you may possess that make you a capable away team leader, they don't translate into space."

Tw'eak's bio-mechanical arm twitched - was his remark a casual insult, a reminder of her past failures on the ground, or was he truly unaware of how much of her had been put back together again because of her presence on away teams? She controlled her response. "You were willing to give the Romulans the benefit of the doubt for having their reasons. I believe I have fully explained mine," she said intently, adding quickly, "sir."

"Well." Corlett seemed to realize that Tw'eak wasn't backing down. "Just get out."

Tw'eak stood for a moment. "Sir."

"Go on." He sat back down and waved a hand towards the door. "Tell V'Sar I'll speak to Captain Collins in here."

"Very well." She took a step and came to attention. "Thank you, sir." It was a calculated, mocking step for her to take, and Tw'eak knew it was a petty sort of maneuver she preferred to avoid, but she knew she was right. Conservative tactics and 'playing it safe' wouldn't work against Romulan warbirds - especially not massive _Scimitar_-type warbirds armed with thalaron weapons at the ready. There was no reason to play at potential consequences and "for-next-time" discussions. The existence of a starship travelling at warp, under an intensely powerful jamming field, carrying Borg technology among its components, was odd enough - but it didn't matter to Tw'eak if that starship was carrying Borg drones or puppies. _Kolibri_'s Starfleet registry was just cause for their intervention. It was why they had responded to the distress signal, and it was why she had to put _Repulse_ out in front, in harm's way.

* * *

Tw'eak returned to the bridge, still displeased at how the conversation had gone, and what it had told her about Corlett. He had given her an important insight, however. His aversion to risk was a specific one: intent on not losing a command, it seemed. Why else would he have chosen to handle the model of the starship under his command, cradle it gently as he had? Or perhaps he had some sort of more specific reason - an aversion to the Borg? an unwillingness to be killed by Romulans? or perhaps he just preferred to die by less painful means than thalaron radiation? As if there was some good way to die. Better to die standing than running while others were killed for their lack of decisive action.

Tw'eak continued thinking as Sagittori met her eye with a smile. "How'd that go?" he asked.

Tw'eak considered her response, then decided against offering one. Nothing she could say would offer anything of meaningful positive value to the situation. "What's our status?"

"We remain at condition red," V'Sar stated. "The Romulans are no longer upon our sensors, and seem to have withdrawn."

"What about _Kolibri_? Are we getting any reading at all from there?"

"It has resumed its course at full impulse. We are maintaining escort."

Tw'eak turned quickly. "Who decided that?"

"They did," Koepka said from the helm.

"They have requested an escort to Starbase 114, where we will receive further instructions," V'Sar added.

"But from whom? Did someone hail us?"

"Request was automated," Sagittori replied. "Just came up on the screen."

"So nobody hailed us - not a person, I mean."

"Nope." Sagittori looked to V'Sar. "We should've probably verified with you or the captain before we followed along with them, though."

This gave Tw'eak cause for thought. "...probably," she said quietly, leaving the snark she wanted to express out of her tone. "It's alright," she added. "I would've cleared it anyway."

This was no time for another adventure in the chain of command. The mystery of the _Kolibri_ had provided another few clues - and rank kept her from being able, or perhaps willing, to openly discuss the possibilities. So this wasn't an accident or a coincidence, nor did the _Kolibri_ present any real threat, clearly, if it was requesting an escort to a Federation starbase.

On-screen, the _Kolibri_ lit up, then flashed out of sight. "They've gone to warp," Sagittori indicated.

"Match course and speed, helm," Tw'eak replied. She went over to V'Sar's side, looking over Lieutenant Raxx's shoulder. The science officer seemed engrossed in a diagram visible upon his console. "Is that a Borg vinculum, Lieutenant?"

Raxx, startled, leapt into a spin. "Why'd you sneak up like that?"

Tw'eak didn't take her eyes off the diagram. "No, I'm wrong, it's not a vinculum."

Raxx looked back towards the diagram. "It's a central plexus. Ugly thing, isn't it. They have one, operational, aboard the _Kolibri_."

Tw'eak's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"No," Raxx replied. "I'd have to get a clear look at it through those jamming fields." He pointed to the details in the margin. "There are a series of transmission frequencies associated with the Collective, as well as regenerative security fields and other bits and pieces of background Borg junk noise. All of that I can scan for - either based on previous contact with Borg vessels and technology, or because it's... just not Federation product."

"What have you found?"

"That's the thing." Raxx shook his head. "I'm reading the background noise, but not getting any reading on the transmission frequencies - despite the Borg technology they very visibly have aboard."

V'Sar turned towards Tw'eak. "Commander... if I may. Perhaps the solution is not to seek what is there, but to understand what is absent."

Tw'eak gave a slight nod. "Explain."

"Taking the lieutenant's hypothesis as correct, we may be misinterpreting the purpose of the jamming fields around the starship _Kolibri_. An operating central plexus would, by its very nature, be linked to the Collective."

Raxx pointed to the diagram again. "It's why I thought there would be a plexus aboard, and scanned for one. Every Borg ship, of any size, needs one of these somewhere onboard. It holds the whole thing together and keeps them connected."

"That's what's absent," Tw'eak inferred. "The connection to the Borg, I mean. We use this technology, and the moment we switch it on, the Borg know where to find it. And then... they take it back." She looked up at V'Sar. "Could the jamming fields be specifically directed to a purpose, like keeping the Collective out?"

Sagittori shook his head. "Could somebody help me out here? I don't know nearly enough about the Borg to follow."

"They're all interconnected, the Borg - that's their strength, but also their weakness. It's also what keeps us from readily connecting any technology of theirs into ours - as advanced as it is, the moment the Borg know we're trying to use something of theirs, they'll want to assimilate us for our trouble."

"They are also capable of asserting their dominion over their technology from considerable distances," V'Sar added, "commencing the assimilation of such users prior to the arrival of Borg vessels via transwarp."

"_Kolibri_'s using some kind of Borg technology," Tw'eak continued. "We could see it in their engines and mounted in their deflector dish. They've also got some serious regenerative shield technology, along with this jamming field they're emitting. But supposing all of that wasn't so much to block external scans... as to keep their secret from getting out..."

Sagittori nodded. "They're not jamming us, they're jamming their own nexus."

"Plexus," Raxx hissed in correction.

"Whatever," Sagittori muttered.

"That's what it's all about," Tw'eak said with a smile. "Get me some evidence - something we can show the captain, that proves this." Tw'eak turned back to the sight of the _Kolibri_, at warp, on the screen in front of them. "Hopefully it'll change his mood," Tw'eak added, to no one in particular.


	16. Chapter 16

It took quite some time before Captain Corlett emerged from his ready room. He looked as though he was quite displeased when he did - and it wasn't clear whether his displeasure arose from having to be on the bridge, or from the conversation he'd had with Captain Collins of the _Tecumseh_. Either way, Tw'eak straightened up from between the tactical and operations consoles, a position that had become her usual perch, as the captain harrumphed into his command chair.

"We have something, Captain," Tw'eak said.

Corlett merely nodded. "Hm."

"About the _Kolibri_, I mean."

"And what's that?"

Tw'eak looked over to V'Sar, who explained. "We have hypothesized that the starship _Kolibri_ is utilizing a Borg central plexus as part of its overall systems, most likely as an apparatus for overall command and control."

This caught Corlett's attention. "Are you sure?"

"Only a hypothesis at present."

"But a good one," Tw'eak added. "Raxx?"

Lieutenant Raxx stood up at the science console. "It's the jamming fields. There are disruptions present along very particular wavelengths - it would be incredibly difficult to configure a jamming field to this specification without some seriously intensive work. So it has to be intentional. That the jamming field also disrupts our sensors - and the Romulans' as well, apparently - is not their actual purpose. They're meant to block the Borg from being able to integrate with the ship's systems and activate their defensive and assimilation protocols."

Corlett nodded. "That would make sense. It's a dangerous game they're playing, to be using Borg technology on a starship. I don't care - manned, unmanned, you're just asking for them to assimilate you."

"The integration appears to have its advantages," V'Sar replied. "I have been monitoring the _Kolibri_'s warp signature - they are expending approximately 20% of the power we are currently utilizing in order to sustain travel at Warp 6."

"And their shield harmonic is constantly in a state of re-balancing," Sagittori added. "Same with their warp field - both of them are actually being re-shaped somehow, with no real power loss as a conseqeuence... like nothing I've seen before."

Corlett looked forward, then bit his lip. "Your friend on the _Tecumseh_ spoke very highly of you, Commander," he declared. The remark was spoken aloud, but clearly intended for an audience of one. Tw'eak kept her reaction as close to zero as possible. Corlett's eyes met hers. "I'm beginning to see why," he continued. "Good work."

Tw'eak gave a brief nod, then asked, "I take it _Tecumseh_ has moved on?"

"Yes, Captain Collins was hoping to return to Starbase 114, something about a retrofit they've recently had that she's not happy with. They've gone on ahead."

"Captain?" Sagittori interrupted, his voice sharp with concern. "There's... another ship. It's on a parallel course."

"How long has it been there?" Tw'eak asked.

"Couldn't have been long - it just showed up on my tactical display, but it's broadcasting a Federation transponder signal." Sagittori tapped into his console. "It's - one of ours... registry lists as the starship _Wyvern_." He looked closer. "_Nimbus_-class... you don't see many of those around."

"Hail them," Corlett said.

"Hailing frequencies open."

"Attention Federation vessel _Wyvern_, this is the starship _Repulse_. We are aware of your presence. Please identify your purpose and intentions."

A moment passed, and Sagittori responded to a beeping noise from his console. "They're requesting a Priority One channel."

"Do it," Corlett replied.

The screen blinked on, revealing a Starfleet captain whose parted hair and wide-set face made him look almost Romulan. His particular style of haircut and beard belied that impression. Behind and to his left stood a shorter individual in a white coat, a swoop of orange hair concealing a headset of some kind over his ears.

"Hello. I'm Captain Nicholas Martin. Sorry to alarm you. We're here on behalf of the Federation Science Council. Behind me is Doctor Eric Cooper, one of our leading authorities on Borg technology."

"Hello," Cooper said, awkwardly.

"We came as soon as we heard the _Kolibri_ was under attack."

"That was some time ago," Corlett said, impatient. "If you're the cavalry, your job's done - we've already secured the situation."

"Yes. Thank you for that. From what I understand, there wasn't much we could've done to stop the _Leahval_ anyway. I'm ...rather impressed that you managed to do so."

Corlett leaned forward. "So that's two questions I have for you. The first being, how did you know about the _Leahval_?"

"We have an active data link to the Kolibri. Were we not looking after another research team of ours in - um, a distant system... we would have arrived far sooner, with potentially far different results." Martin tilted his head back. "As to your second question, then."

"Yes." Corlett looked down into his hands, as if searching for the words. "I'd ask you to explain to me... just what the hell is going on? How does a starship like _Kolibri_ even come to exist?"

"Oh, I'm afraid that's not something we can discuss," Martin insisted. "In fact, I'm going to have to ask you and your ship to turn over any information or materials you have learned with regards to the starship _Kolibri_. The entire ship and its..." Martin looked to Cooper before continuing. "...configuration at present are considered to be of major strategic value to the Federation, and as such, it's top secret."

"You expect me to believe that your work with Borg technology is going to provide some benefit to the Federation? All you're going to succeed in doing is bringing us closer to total assimilation."

"I - um..." Cooper stepped forwards. "What the captain is saying is that the Federation Science Council disagrees."

Corlett snorted. "The Science Council - ? I could understand if you were doing this in a petri dish, but out here? You're just lucky we were able to intervene in time. The least you can do is explain what this all is."

Tw'eak took a careful note of Corlett's use of the term 'we', given his objection to her concept of how best to intervene.

"We're under no obligation to provide you with any information," Captain Martin insisted. "The matter is classified."

"Perhaps, but given the irregularity of this situation, it would at least be reassuring to know that this isn't some Section 31 type of operation." Corlett leaned back, gesturing towards the bridge. "That's not the kind of thing any of us signed on to be a part of. But you've got to admit, from our perspective on the outside of this, and considering the risks we've taken? Considering the risks we've seen the Federation Science Council is taking? We deserve a straight answer."

Tw'eak gave a cynical smirk. Taking risks with the starship _Repulse_ suddenly sounded a lot more reasonable in Captain Corlett's opinion. To stop Romulans from attacking? Unnecessary risk. To use as leverage in order to get answers? That was another story.

Martin looked at Cooper again, who gave a bit of a shrug. Martin looked down briefly, then his eyes looked from face to face on the _Repulse_'s bridge. "What I'm about to tell you is not to be discussed further - not between yourselves, not with anyone else."

"My officers understand a need-to-know basis, Captain."

"And it has to be on that basis," Martin demanded.

"On with it." The annoyance in Corlett's voice rose into indignation.

"The recent destruction of the colony on Vega IX, and its assimilation by the Borg, has shifted the priorities of the Research Council. The Borg deployed a new type of tactic that we haven't seen before. They're assimilating everything - the technology, the people, even the plants and animals - indiscriminately. This is not a tactic which we currently have any means of countering."

Dr. Cooper continued. "Given the severity of the situation on Vega, the Science Council felt it was prudent not to raise alarm by publicizing these findings. Especially since the results of our attempts to re-take the colony have, to date, been unsuccessful. But we've begun a series of experimental programs, designed to help us counteract this new method of assimilation."

"The _Kolibri_ is one such experiment," Captain Martin said in conclusion.

Corlett shook his head. "Not exactly a safe place to be experimenting with Borg technology, surely - here in the heart of the Federation. One failure and we'll have a dozen Vega IXs on our hands."

Captain Martin nodded. "We know. _Kolibri_ was en route to the secure research facility we have on - well." The captain smiled briefly, an insincere smirk. "Its location is classified. But the purpose of the _Kolibri_ project, the actual experiment, took place..." The smirk returned. "Far from here. And was successful."

"To what end?"

"We installed Borg technology in the vessel, removed its weapons and defense grids, and installed the jamming technology you see in operation now. Our theory was that we could use the suite of jamming fields to completely disrupt the Collective's signal. The idea is to eventually work these jamming fields into a device of some kind. Should the Borg begin the process of a full planetary assimilation again, the activation of a disruption unit might slow or even halt the process. But we needed proof of concept. In the event that the jamming technology failed to prevent the Collective from discovering our experiment, an unarmed starship was felt to be best - as were the significant number of upgrades we made to its self-destruct system, to ensure total destruction in the event of potential loss. This is also why the data link was maintained via subspace, in order to remotely trigger the self-destruct. However, _Kolibri_'s augmentation with Borg technology has proven... mostly succesful so far."

" 'Mostly'." Corlett shook his head. "Until the Tal Shiar showed up."

"That was ...unexpected. Thankfully we will be able to complete our investigation as a result of the data we've collected. Bringing _Kolibri_ home has made that possible."

"You said 'mostly successful', though - why?" Tw'eak asked. "It sounds like a total success."

"The starship _Kolibri_ had a modified shield," Martin explained, "one of Starfleet design, when it left spacedock. The ship has... unexpectedly been progressively altered since it departed Federation space."

"Modified by the plexus?" Sagittori blurted out.

Martin's eyes flashed, and the word 'plexus' got Cooper's full attention. "Whatever technology may or may not be present, it's not for anyone to discuss," the doctor admonished.

Tw'eak caught Sagittori's eye, and looked down at his console deliberately, an invitation for him to keep his head down - and his mouth shut.

"But it would have to be running a central plexus," Corlett persisted. "Otherwise how do you explain the engines, the shields, being augmented - if not a central plexus reasserting itself to assimilate and upgrade the vessel for its return to the Collective?"

Martin's response was icy. "I believe I made clear how much of this is open for discussion."

"No, I understand that, it's just..." Corlett shrugged. "We're Starfleet officers, our whole lives are devoted to exploration and seeking answers to questions. And this... is by far the most interesting thing that's happened for our crew in some time."

"I'm afraid this isn't open for further interest or question." Martin leaned forward into the viewer. "I must insist. Any discussion of this top-secret project will result in penalties, including potential court-martial."

Corlett waved both hands at Martin, relenting. "I just hope what you've done was worth it, that's all."

"Hopefully," Martin repeated.

"What about the crew of the _Kolibri_?" Tw'eak asked.

"What about them?"

"That ship is partly assimilated. So for the crew onboard-"

"Any crew which may or may not be onboard are a further matter which is not open for discussion, Commander."

This answer alarmed Tw'eak. "What, are they all drones?"

"All aspects of the starship _Kolibri_ \- its presence, its mission, even its crew - are not open for further discussion. I've already said far more than I've had to say here. That was a courtesy - but one I again must insist be taken no further. This matter is of utmost importance to the security of the Federation."

"So be it, Captain," Corlett said acidly, "but our next patrol is also important to the Federation's security. Duty calls. Farewell." Corlett gave a wave, not looking away from the viewscreen, and V'Sar cut the channel. "Ensign, change course and speed - next system on patrol duty list." Tw'eak was behind Corlett, but the sneering expression indicated by his tone of voice must have been a sight to behold. "Maximum warp," he seethed.

"Course and speed laid in, sir," Koepka said softly, her voice almost shaking.

"Do it."

The starships _Wyvern_ and _Kolibri_ continued on their path together, while _Repulse_ increased its speed and swerved well aside. Within moments, _Repulse_ departed on a new course, leaving the two starships far behind.

Corlett stood up, facing aft towards Tw'eak, Raxx, Sagittori, and V'Sar. "You all heard what he had to say. I'd guess some admiral or higher-up will put it in official terms, on my desk, very shortly." His shoulders shrank, and he appeared visibly defeated. "V'Sar, lock out all the sensory data we've acquired, and encrypt it for authorization of access by ranks of captain and above - only. Commander, I trust that you can remind everyone of their duty." He turned towards his ready room and left.

Tw'eak was left in charge yet again. "Does anyone need a reminder of what 'need-to-know' means?"

There were 'no' responses from Koepka and Sagittori. Both Raxx and V'Sar seemed to shake their heads. They knew how to handle it, even if none among them knew what to make of it.

"Then let's put this away and move on. And remember - in conversation or in confrontation - you never reveal how much you know. Not ever, not to anyone." Tw'eak turned to Sagittori. "Even if they seem to be on your side."

"I'm sorry," Sagittori replied. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Correct. Firstly, questioning a superior officer is typically a bad move, not that it's ever stopped me..." Tw'eak's eyes narrowed at the viewscreen. "Also because you never want to give them any hint that you know what they're covering up. Especially if they're trying this hard to cover it up." She looked back to V'Sar, suddenly very tired. "Work out the flight plan and expected threat assessment for the next patrol. Hopefully it'll go better than the last." She patted V'Sar on the shoulder as she passed. "The bridge is yours."

Tw'eak made her way into the turbolift, and her eyes closed just before the doors did. The long hours of the past few days made her tired, but the implications of what she had beheld - and had now sworn never to discuss further - promised to deprive her of the sleep she craved. As the turbolift began to move, Corlett's question for Captain Martin and his researchers rattled around in her mind. Just what in the hell was going on?


	17. Chapter 17

Time passed with no further answers to the questions that had been raised that day. The _Repulse_'s patrol duties continued, with few surprises. One system patrol had led to the unexpected bonus of being able to liberate a freighter full of slaves the Orions had been trafficking once the _Repulse_'s arrival had surprised the corvettes escorting it. Another had seen a Gorn cruiser request Federation asylum - which had been fine by Tw'eak, as slugging it out would have devastated both ships. But there was no further sign of anything related to the Borg. This was just as well. Since there were orders not to discuss the matter, the bridge crew kept a constant watch for an unexpected sphere or cube along the way. Thankfully, none turned up, which was probably for the best.

Tw'eak remained on schedule with the readiness drills and other duties she had been assigned to oversee at the captain's direction. To Tw'eak's surprise, Corlett had no real interest in whether or not the crew were developing - it took her a few weeks to realize that he was more than likely just giving her something to do. Whether his intention was to keep her busy, and thus too exhausted to question him, or just to keep her off the bridge, it wasn't entirely clear. Still, improving crew performance was a priority for her, and so she continued enforcing the regulations and running the drills all the same.

She had also put together a short list of crew members, both in groups and individually where particular infractions were a common theme, about the mandates of professionalism and the necessities of behaving as a Starfleet officer was expected under regulation. Lieutenant Harlan's crew in Deflector Control reviewed the meaning of 'arriving on time for shift'. The medical team had reviewed regulations surrounding confidentiality in treating injuries, since too many sickbay stories were finding a way into the rumour mill. And then there were the individual chats, each one with its own particular theme.

Some of these conversations had been tense, as with Lieutenant Commander Benso, the chief engineer. His tendencies to refer to people by nicknames of his choosing, often pejorative or mocking names, was inappropriate in Tw'eak's mind.

"But that's how I do it!" Benso countered. "They know they're on my team that way!"

"This is your idea of team-building?"

"Yeah! I mean - it's great. They do a thing, they do it well, I recognize them for it!"

"Like Lieutenant Frayling?" Tw'eak responded.

Benso hesitated. "Okay, I admit that one's bad. But he kind of earned it, though."

"Regardless, the lieutenant was quite clear - he doesn't appreciate being called 'Failing Frayling'."

"But sometimes he's 'Saves-the-Dayling', too, though! I mean, not often, but - okay, just the one time. Still!"

Tw'eak shook her head. "Lieutenant Magnus Frayling. That's his name. That's his only name. That goes for all of your people. Any of their so-called 'failings' should be reported to me for evaluation purposes only, not be... used against them like that."

"But it's for the good of everyone that way. I gotta keep my engine room working, so I gotta call 'em on it when they mess up."

"You can - but do it in a way that emphasizes their place in the team. Don't center them out - take them aside, explain the mistake. Centering them out might work once, maybe twice, and I can see how if there's a major error, maybe, but you address the error, not the officer that made it. That sort of ridicule has a lasting effect - and not a good one. At least six of your personnel other than Lieutenant Frayling have said, either to me or to Counselor Downie, that they feel less confident and more anxious about their duties than they did six months ago."

"What, you think I'm the problem with the team?" Benso despaired.

"Don't take what I said as a personal attack - it's a personnel issue, one we can work together to fix. I'm addressing the issue, not any one person. You're right, your engine room has to keep working - but so do its people. The best starting point, if you're willing, is to reflect on how they perceive you."

"Well, see, based on what you're telling me, seems like they don't much like my approach."

"So change your approach. Find another incentive. Release time, maybe. Not too frequently, though - it can't seem as though you're giving extra time off on the basis of favouritism."

"See, that's what I mean. I start using release time for that, and then I'm screwed. Some of my people are the best. I wanna clone them and keep one on every shift. Then there's everyone else. That's the problem - I gotta work with both. But I use release time as a gift, and I let my best people have time off all the time - that doesn't work. Then I just got the rest of them to work with, and then you get questions about favouritism and everything else... no thanks."

"Which would be a perfect place to start turning 'the rest' into something better. Use your presence to teach them whatever you can, so they can improve. Show them you're giving them the chance to prove themselves. Then you give them opportunity to earn that reward - through drills or through other means, but not by picking favourites. Correct me if I'm wrong, but engineering is a twofold thing - expertise is one thing, but knowing what to do and how to think critically, improvise on the spot, is just as important."

"Yeah, absolutely." Benso replied sharply. "Can't teach that."

"Of course you can - if they don't have the instinct for it, they can certainly practice to improve their response time. Maybe change who's on which shift rotation - spread out the ones who know how, encourage them to help those others reach their potential."

"Potential? Nah. Some of them aren't gonna improve, no matter how many permutations of duty roster I throw together."

"Then you let me know who they are, and I'll handle it on my end - change their duty assignments, even arrange crew transfers. That'll take time to sort out, but it'll get there if we work on it. For now, I need you to accept them, faults and all, at least to start with. Let them have a fair chance to prove themselves."

"And suppose all they prove is that I was right all along?"

"Then that's who they are - from each, according to their gifts, and to each, according to their needs."

Benso looked bewildered. "Wow, never heard an Andorian quote a Vulcan before."

"One of my gifts, you could say," Tw'eak replied, arching an eyebrow in imitation of V'Sar.

"Don't do that - it's freaky. You're too blue for the eyebrow thing."

"Listen, Commander, it's your engine room, and you need to motivate your people - I get that. Do it in a way that enhances their morale. Recognize success, of course, but never put yourself in a position where you take from them, or put them down, for what they do. Build them to succeed - to recognize that potential."

"So can I call him 'Saves-the-Dayling' if he actually saves the day?"

Tw'eak gave a thin smile. "And only then."

Speaking to Lieutenant Rau had been far more straightforward. She had to keep her Betazoid mind to herself, that much was certain. But Tw'eak's mention of telepathic suppression - through devices, medication or otherwise - as a listed penalty for her actions had an immediate effect on her wandering mind, and within a week, it was back solely to where it had belonged - in her head. Other similar disciplinary discussions - instances of theft, of violations of others' privacy, and so on - had also been easily dispensed with, since in most cases, as with Rau, just saying she would be watching, that there could be consequences, seemed to be deterrent enough.

Some conversations had been difficult, especially with Brienne Koepka and Jon Sagittori. She had met with each of them separately, and neither had attempted to hide their feelings for the other. Tw'eak could not have seen more clearly how much they wanted, and in fact intended, to be together as a couple. Sagittori had even admitted to Tw'eak that he had attempted to break off their relationship only as a way to protect Koepka from the consequences, leading to a sort of reconciliation. There was no greater sympathy that she could show them, except to say that she was aware of their feelings, and that a transfer - of one, or both of them, to different starships - was the sole solution available. Despite the passage of time, and their promise to "do the right thing", neither of them had presented her with transfer applications. Short of keeping tabs on their whereabouts - which, to be fair, she had done in part, restricting holodeck access for both of them - there was no real solution.

Tw'eak could empathize, as she could remember a few moments in which she, too, had wanted to reach out and make that intimate connection with a colleague or a fellow officer, and indeed, on a few occasions she had, especially during her first two years aboard the _Nelson_. But the adventure of the secret romance hadn't meant an equally strong, sincere relationship - she had never known anything like Koepka and Sagittori had found in each other. It made her feel singularly ill-equipped to judge them on anything other than the basis of rules and regulations, and she relaxed a bit, trusting the two of them to be themselves - even if that meant tacitly accepting the undeniable facts, and setting the strict language of those regulations aside.

After a couple weeks, their patrol duties were reassigned. Rather than the closer-to-home freighter routes and systems of the Celes sector, _Repulse_ was destined for further duty in deep space. There wasn't much of strategic interest to the Federation in the Hotep sector, at least, not as far as Tw'eak could see, after a couple weeks of getting to know the systems they patrolled. Aside from the presence of Starbase 82 as their closest point of contact to Starfleet, the Hotep, Alini and Vorn sectors were remarkably quiet. At one point, the _Repulse_ had contacted the starbase to request a science vessel, to take a closer look at chronometric fluctuations in the Quadra Sigma system, but that was it - no raiders, no pirates, no Romulans or any other major threats.

Quiet patrols became the norm, so Tw'eak made up the difference with occasional ship-wide combat drills. She took it upon herself to organize scheduled crew briefings on matters of importance. This ranged from discussions of recent events in the war (which crew members who had family in service or living near the border of Klingon space appreciated immensely) to department-led tutorials on engineering, medical, tactical, security and operational matters. These were open to all, however, not mandatory, and she remembered distinctly Lieutenant Raxx's presentation on the Borg assimilation process, mostly for the nightmares it had given her.

It was the Borg that became the unspoken element of these patrols. Rumours abounded of their having been exiled to the outskirts of nowhere as penalty for their involvement in a rescue which had come to be known by the euphemism, 'nope'. Any time someone began to speak of the _Kolibri_, or the Borg technology they had been ordered not to speak of, any crew member who happened to overhear said talk would take to repeating the word 'nope' in the direction of whomever had violated protocol and talked. Who had first used the word 'nope' as a manner of silencing these discussions wasn't clear, but the message surely was: the _Kolibri_ was not to be discussed. And while at first few people knew of it, the seemingly constant sound of someone saying 'nope' repeatedly led Tw'eak to believe that the word was, as one might expect, used in increasing frequency upon the approach of senior officers.

Plenty else had happened in the war with the Klingons since then, as Tw'eak frequently recounted in briefing form. Another major, indecisive battle had occurred in the Donatu system; an abortive Klingon raid on the K-7 space station, thwarted by the arrival of Seventh Fleet reinforcements at a decisive moment; continued harassment of freighter convoys and other traders throughout the quadrant, which at one point nearly threatened to bring the Ferengi into the war; and a few other noteworthy attempts by task force sized battle groups to re-take the remains of Starbase 24, with limited success. For the most part, Tw'eak got the impression that the war had largely fallen into stalemate. This meant that on its own, _Repulse_ could probably do little to change its outcome. Still, the question of why they were out here, and not more directly involved in the war, was one everyone wanted answered, including Tw'eak.

Something of an answer materialized with the next crisis the starship _Repulse_ encountered. It began at a moment when Tw'eak was in overall command on the bridge, as had become the usual pattern of daytime operations. V'Sar oversaw the night shift, and Captain Corlett more or less showed up on the bridge as he passed back and forth from his ready room. This was not unusual for the captain, as he tended to avoid being on the bridge itself unless absolutely necessary, content to let his senior staff handle ordinary operational duties. Tw'eak had brought reports to him on several occasions, and he was always at his desk, working on something, or in communication with someone, looking busy. The only person who had spent any time in the ready room, other than her, had been Lieutenant Raxx, for reasons she didn't understand - and figured would be explained to her once it became necessary.

Tw'eak had just delivered to the captain a report on her tactical appraisal of the Alini system, which they had patrolled a week earlier. As she returned to the bridge, the sound of a tactical console registering a distress signal nearby became audible. "What do we have, Lieutenant?" she asked Sagittori.

"Seems to be... no way."

Tw'eak came to a stop just behind the helm. "Lieutenant," she repeated.

"Here, see for yourself."

Sagittori activated the main viewscreen, and with occasional bursts of static, a Romulan Tal Shiar officer was visible there. " This is Commander Taelus of the Romulan Star Empire vessel _Areinnye_. We are under attack by Borg scout squadrons! This is a formal request for assistance from any ship receiving this message." There was a pause before she added, "do not abandon us."

"Message is being broadcast on repeat," Sagittori noted.

"From where?"

"The... Burgus system, ma'am. Ninety-four light-years from here."

Tw'eak nodded, then tapped Koepka's shoulder. "Best not abandon them, then. Warp nine, if you please."

Koepka nodded. "Course and speed laid in."

"Go," Tw'eak said, then turned to Sagittori. "Try to raise them. And take us to red alert."

Moments later, the ship's lights dimmed, and the noise of the red alert siren echoed across the bridge.

Tw'eak tapped the communications control on the captain's chair. "This is a red alert. All hands to battle stations." For good measure, she added, "This is not a drill."

Captain Corlett emerged from his ready room and went directly to his chair. He looked visibly disoriented, as though he had been awoken by the sound. "Report."

"Distress signal from a Romulan warbird, under attack by Borg scout ships."

Corlett looked at Tw'eak as though she had cursed his mother. "Republic or Imperial?"

"Star Empire."

"Under attack by-? Why not just cloak and flee, then?"

"We don't know yet." Tw'eak looked to Sagittori. "Any response?"

"Just another automated message. This one's different from the last."

"Well, let's see it," Corlett replied, grumpily.

Once again, the broken transmission from the Romulan warbird showed Captain Taelus, no more or less composed than before, but with a different background, one that looked to be a medical bay. "To any ship in range: This is the I.R.W. _Areinnye_. My ship has been attacked and disabled by the Borg. My crew are being assimilated."

Several of the officers shifted uneasily as the turbolift doors opened to admit Lieutenant Commander V'Sar to the bridge.

"The self-destruct is offline," Taelus continued. "I have retreated with my surviving officers to the main science lab. If you can hear this, I formally request assistance. If there is no one who can respond to this message... then may we die with honour."

"Continue hail," Corlett said over his shoulder. "Let me know if you get through to her." He leaned forward towards Tw'eak. "This is damned peculiar."

"I'm assuming it's an ambush."

"Out here? Could it be related to - that business, a few months ago?"

"You think it's connected somehow?"

Corlett shrugged. "Don't you? Hell of a coincidence, if it's not."

"With the Romulans, it's never what you'd expect, sir." Tw'eak gave her captain a smirk.

"Well put. I didn't think a self-destruct system could be taken offline, other than in a maintenance cycle."

"I noted that. Can't explain it, either."

Corlett glanced past Tw'eak, to the helm. "Time to arrival, Ensign?"

"One minute, seventeen seconds, sir," Koepka reported.

"Sir?" Sagittori called. "I have the Romulan commander."

"Not another recording, hopefully," Corlett snarked.

"No, sir. She's standing by."

"Put her on screen."

The interior of the science lab, and the face of Commander Taelus, returned - this time a stronger signal. "Thank you for coming to our assistance," the Romulan said. "Whom am I addressing?"

"Captain Avery Corlett of the Federation starship _Repulse_. What's your situation?"

"Borg drones have beamed aboard the _Areinnye_ and are attempting to assimilate my crew. Several of us have barricaded ourselves in the science lab. We need your assistance to prevent our ship from being assimilated and to save the rest of the crew."

"Understood, Commander. I'll send over a security team as soon as we arrive. Shouldn't be long now. _Repulse_ out." Corlett flicked his wrist, and Sagittori cut the channel. "Damned peculiar," he repeated.

"She said there were Borg scout ships in the area," Tw'eak noted. "We'll have to fight through them first."

"Assist the lieutenant," Corlett said to her as he turned to V'Sar. "Be prepared to modulate our shield nutation - don't let them disrupt our shields, they'll assimilate us, too."

"Understood," the Vulcan operations officer replied.

Tw'eak stepped behind Corlett, and up to the tactical console. "How are you feeling today?" she asked Lieutenant Sagittori.

"These patrols were like vacation time," he replied. "Now we're gonna pay for it."

"Seems the Romulans are picking up the tab," Tw'eak joked. "We'll handle this."

Repulse came out of warp, and the tactical display registered two Borg scout probes, some of their smallest vessels, around the stricken form of a _Mogai_-class warbird. Tw'eak's eyes narrowed. There was no way two Borg probes could've disabled and crippled a Romulan ship of that size on their own. She scanned the area - no evidence of transwarp conduits or subspace fields that would suggest a stronger Borg presence in the area. "You seeing this?" Sagittori asked her.

"Captain," she called out, nodding to Sagittori. "This doesn't make sense."

"You're not reading any larger Borg vessels around us?" Corlett asked.

"Not at all."

"Extend the range of your scan. I need to know what's out there."

"They might've assimilated the cloaking device," Koepka offered.

"Unlikely," V'Sar replied. "Numerous Romulan and Klingon vessels have been assimilated in previous encounters with the Borg. The Collective has, to date, shown no interest in acquiring such a device."

"Let's just deal with the ones we have in front of us," Corlett muttered. "Commander?"

"On it, sir." Tw'eak turned to Sagittori. "One at a time. Remember to follow an attack pattern. They'll have a harder time adapting that way."

"Right."

The Borg probes moved away from the warbird _Areinnye_, to engage their newest target. "We are the Borg," the automated message intoned via communications. "Lower your shields and-"

The _Repulse_ opened fire, its forward phasers and torpedo banks tearing into the first probe, knocking out its facing shields and delivering a devastating burst of torpedoes right into its hull, destroying it. The message resumed. "Lower your shields and prepare to be boarded. Resistance-"

There was little doubt that the second ship would suffer as a result of the first detonating, but the effect was better than Tw'eak would have hoped. As Sagittori alternated targets, _Repulse_'s phaser fire temporarily disabled the second ship's shields, meaning that when the first ship exploded, the second probe bore the brunt of it. Meanwhile, _Repulse_ had swept past both, meaning that the aft torpedoes fired at the worst possible moment for the Borg, striking their target's unshielded aft quarter, resulting in a second detonation.

"Both targets destroyed," Sagittori declared proudly.

"Excellent work," Corlett replied without a glance. "Helm, bring us about."

"We're now within transporter range," Koepka advised.

Corlett gave a sharp nod aftwards. "Get your team together, Commander."

"Right. Sagittori, you're with me." She tapped her commbadge as she stepped into the turbolift. "Lieutenant Baird, Lieutenant Rau, and any available combat medic to Transporter Room 1, please." Sagittori stepped into the turbolift, and Tw'eak's eyes turned to the turbolift's ceiling. "Transporter room," she said.


	18. Chapter 18

The interior of the warbird _Areinnye_ was hostile space to Tw'eak's eyes, assimilated or not. The few times she had been aboard a Romulan Imperial craft had been sufficient to give her that impression, seeing as every time, she had been a member of an away team not unlike this one. But while in those instances she had been under someone else's command, making a brief raid or securing a ship's interior, now she was in charge of the team that was marching towards the assimilated.

Behind her, phaser rifles in hand, were Lieutenants Sagittori, Baird and Rau. They formed a semi-circle around Tw'eak and Ensign Shev Th'zarik. Ensign Th'zarik was a combat medic, and while he had a phaser on his hip just in case, the Andorian medic's hand held his medical tricorder. Behind his shoulder was slung a medical carrying case, immunosupport nanite injectors at the ready in case any of the away team succumbed to assimilation.

"Right," Tw'eak said as they materialized. "Everyone has a frequency remodulator equipped on their weapons. Remember that you'll get a few shots, at most six, before you have to drop back and remodulate."

"Commander?" Lieutenant Baird asked. "What's our plan?"

"We're... not far from the science lab," Tw'eak said, uncertain of which way the lab actually was. "We'll make our way there, then try and sort out what's gone wrong. Be aware of your weapons status - if you need to remodulate, say something and fall back. We need to keep rotating, as we advance, and cover anyone who's in mid-remodulation."

"Takes about four seconds," Lieutenant Rau added. "So keep your head down."

"Exactly. Questions? Good. Stay sharp. Move out."

The _Areinnye_'s corridors were strewn with wreckage and bodies. The remains of an _uhlan_, one of the junior ranks of the Imperial Navy, lay across its decks, along with several fallen drones. Nearby, other _uhlans_ and sublieutenants tended their wounds, with appreciative nods. The corridor had been full of Borg just moments before. Now the Collective had fallen back - at heavy cost to the Tal Shiar forces.

Tw'eak looked around. "I'm trying to get through to the lab."

"The - the medical lab?" The Romulan lieutenant froze. "What do you want in there?"

"Just tell the lady what she wants to know," Lieutenant Sagittori demanded.

The Romulan hesitated, but his eyes darted to his right. It was only a moment, but Tw'eak took the hint and started down the corridor. As the Romulan voiced a protest, one look from Lieutenant Baird silenced him, and the away team proceeded.

The corridor led to a single doorway - no markings, nothing to suggest what lay beyond. Tw'eak waited for the team to be in position, then signalled with a hand gesture for Sagittori and Baird to go through first. As they moved forward, the two lieutenants took positions on either side of the doorway, leaving Tw'eak and the rest of the team room to follow.

The doorway opened onto a scene - one unlike anything Tw'eak imagined could be real. Inside was a sort of dual-purpose room, one part sickbay, with medical scanners and bio-beds, while the other featured confined areas, like cells in a brig, each one holding a Romulan, who was either seated or laying down. Tw'eak looked up just in time as a Romulan sublieutenant raised a pistol, and firing from the hip, discharged an arcwave blast that knocked the sublieutenant against the bulkhead. Baird delivered a second shot from his phaser rifle, and the Romulan stayed down.

"Sorry," Baird said quickly. "I shot late."

"It's okay, I had him" Tw'eak replied, not really concerned. She gestured to Sagittori. "Can you - can we get them out?"

"On it." Sagittori and Baird both went to different consoles, Sagittori nearer the cells. "Nope, this isn't it. Darren?"

Baird nodded. "I've got it here." He touched the console twice, and the holding cell forcefields deactivated.

Tw'eak gave a quick glance to Ensign Shev Th'zarik. Despite not being given direction, the Andorian medic knew where he was needed, and produced a medical tricorder. "They're... partially assimilated. I'll administer immunosupport nanites. Wait, Commander - these wounds are ...not consistent with assimilation."

One of the Romulans came forward. "Thank you for saving us," she said, steadying herself against a bulkhead.

"What's going on here?" Tw'eak asked. "Who are you?"

"We..." She shook her head. "We're all that's left. The Tal Shiar were using us as test subjects in their experiments with Borg technology."

"You're joking," Sagittori blurted out. Tw'eak shot him a look, as did Rau, and he corrected himself. "I mean, I believe you - obviously."

"He's just in shock," Tw'eak said sympathetically. "That's not something we would ever consider, let alone condone, in the Federation. I apologize for that." She looked to Ensign Th'zarik. "Can you do anything to help?"

"Well, they're lucky that the Borg implants have been deactivated. I didn't even know they could be deactivated, but they are. I don't need to administer immunosupport. They're safe to transport, we can look after them."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Sagittori said quietly.

The Romulan victim's eyes widened. "Please, don't leave us here. We're from the Republic. They'll do anything to preserve their star empire - I've seen for myself what they and the Elachi did to the outlying colonies."

Tw'eak nodded. "We won't leave you." She looked sharply at Sagittori, then to Th'zarik, before moving into a far-off corner. "We can't leave them," she said quietly to the two officers.

Sagittori was, once again, incredulous. "Are you nuts? Having them onboard is a huge security risk."

"I disagree," Ensign Th'zarik replied. "They're pretty broken. I think they've been tortured."

"They're still carrying Borg implants."

"Inactive Borg implants," Th'zarik corrected.

"Yeah - for how long?"

Tw'eak's eyes met the ensign's. "They're not to leave sickbay until they've been cleared."

"I can handle that. They're pretty docile. And most of their implants should be removable - should be just a matter of micro-surgery. But I'll make sure nothing goes wrong."

Tw'eak looked to Sagittori. "You go with them. Make sure it's safe."

Sagittori frowned. "And quit the mission?" He furrowed his brow in an attempt to persuade Tw'eak, but she shook her head. "Alright, fine. I really wanted to help you finish this, though."

"It's just as well. Just keep them safe - the ship... all of them." Tw'eak gave Sagittori a meaningful look. "Just be safe. Prepare for beam-out."

"Right."

Tw'eak returned to the Romulan. "This is Lieutenant Sagittori. He's my tactical officer. If you need anything, just ask. Ensign Th'zarik is my field medic, he'll introduce you to the other medical personnel. Everything is going to be alright from this point on." She gave the Romulan a sincere smile. "You have my word."

The Romulan nodded. "Thank you, again."

Tw'eak turned towards the door. "Alright - Baird, Rau, you ready? Let's go."

* * *

Several minutes - and several more Borg encounters - later, Tw'eak, Baird and Rau reached the science lab. "This is it," Tw'eak said as she came to a stop. She looked back at Rau and Baird. "Better remodulate now, before we go in."

The three of them activated their frequency remodulation units, ensuring their weapons would have maximum effectiveness against the Borg that were no doubt just on the other side. "What's the plan, Commander?" Baird asked.

"I'll figure that out once I know the dimensions of the room. Just... stay low, hit hard... don't let them touch you."

"Not exactly inspiring words of wisdom, Commander," Rau snarked.

"Look, they're the Borg. Outside of a holodeck I haven't faced them before today. I've seen what they can do - we all have." Tw'eak shook her head. "I don't really think I need to embellish this. We may be too late already."

"Nah, forget it." Rau gave a chuckle. "Just thought you command types always knew just what to say."

"Let's just get this over with," Baird said, dread in his voice.

Tw'eak raised her pulsewave assault weapon. "Couldn't have said it better myself. We ready?"

Rau nodded, and Baird checked his weapon once before affirming.

Tw'eak moved to the door, which opened, revealing a dim green light beyond. Her fears that they were too late, that the lab had already been assimilated, rose at the sight of Borg technology mounted in Romulan housings around the lab. But her anxiety turned to anger as she saw the Star Empire technicians - at least one of whom had been partially assimilated and was being tended to by a medic - surrounding Commander Taelus in a corner. The room itself was roughly the size of _Repulse_'s crew lounge, with low ceilings and a collection of consoles rather than a seating arrangement with tables and chairs. Tw'eak took a hard look at Taelus, prepared to say something, when one of the technicians called out, "Borg incoming!"

Sure enough, right in front of Tw'eak, a group of six Borg materialized. She stepped back, lowered to one knee, and unleashed the arcwave from her weapon. The shockwave of the arc blast leveled three Borg, but only staggered one, which turned. Its torso worn away by the assimilation process, what appeared by the width of its shoulders to once have been a female humanoid now turned, its eyepiece and armature both intent on Tw'eak. Baird and Rau joined together in firing at once, as did several of the Romulans, before Tw'eak could fire again, this time merely a pulse as the arcwave generator recharged. The Borg shook off the effects of the weapons fire, closing on the commander.

Tw'eak held her ground, against her every instinct, until the Borg drone - still absorbing blasts from all sides - was close in, then leapt upwards as if spring-loaded, throwing the butt of her weapon into a fierce uppercut. This finally knocked the drone backwards, into two surviving drones which had risen from the initial arcwave blast. More weapons fire - first from Baird, then the Romulans, then Rau - met the targets, and Tw'eak fired the arcwave setting yet again, annihilating the three Borg.

"Remodulate!" Tw'eak shouted to her officers. "I'll cover you."

Another group of Borg materialized to Tw'eak's right just as Baird and Rau began remodulating, and Tw'eak found herself at a disadvantage. She pushed backwards as she stepped towards Rau, and the Betazoid engineer fell back behind one of the Borg consoles. Baird saw her go and turned to join her, just as Tw'eak fired two rapid pulses into the Borg. The smaller pulses were limited compared to the arcwave, but the second blast struck one Borg laterally and knocked it down. The Romulan weapons fire continued, and two of the Borg - including a heavy drone with a massive headpiece and armoured frame - closed upon them.

Baird and Rau sprang up, using the console as cover, just as Tw'eak fired again, preparing an arcwave blast directed at the heavy drone. She aimed and went to ground, but one of the drones gripped her shoulder. Reacting swiftly, Tw'eak turned and fired a pulse into its midsection before Baird, leaving cover, had dashed across to put his phaser rifle's butt across the drone's face. The drone crumpled to the ground, and another fell to Rau's precise fire. Tw'eak then took a step back for good measure, knelt, and engaged the arcwave.

No effect. She hadn't remodulated.

Tw'eak swore at her own error under her breath as she dashed behind the console, pushing Baird along with her as she did. Turning as if intrigued by the futile effort at harming it, the heavy Borg combat unit made deliberate, lumbering strides across the room towards her. Baird, then Rau, raised their rifles to fire, but Tw'eak put up a hand. "Hold your fire."

Tw'eak began the remodulation sequence and checked the arcwave setting - four seconds to remodulate, five seconds to recharge - and stood up.

"What the hell?" Rau shouted.

"Not until I tell you!" Tw'eak cried, timing her movements carefully as she put an adjacent console between herself and the drone, which continued implacably towards her - and away from both the Romulans and her own people. "Hey! Look at me! I'm going to kill you!" She raised the pulsewave, intent not on opening fire, but on making the heavy drone believe that she would. "Come on. Come on!" She continued to shimmy to the right, as the drone followed her, into the corner.

The weapon she held indicated it had remodulated, and then, a light on its side showed it to be reloaded.

"Come see what I've got for you." Tw'eak lowered her weapon, then pointed to Baird and Rau, who caught the Borg drone in its side, on an unexpected quadrant. She dove to her right, away from Baird and Rau, and hit the deck in time to see the drone turning its back to her, intent on her officers.

"Gotcha," she whispered, and let loose the arcwave.

The blast caught the heavy drone completely unprepared. It was thrown forwards, a smell of burning suddenly in the air as it caught fire in two places, then went down - hard - onto the deck. Tw'eak stood up, firing pulses into it where it lay. Baird, Rau and the Romulans did the same, and the heavy drone's frantic attempts at raising itself off the deck ceased moments later. All around, the fallen drones began to self-immolate, erasing the Borg from the scene, and after a moment - a moment in which all trained weapons on the downed heavy drone, and remodulated just in case - the heavy drone, too, fell to ashes. It was over.

"Shielding re-established," one of the Romulan technicians called out. "Lab is secure."

Rau slung her rifle across her shoulders and produced a tricorder. "I'm not reading any further active Borg presence. Think we got 'em, Commander."

Tw'eak pointed to the Borg technology and cradled her pulsewave behind her back. "I want scans of everything," she muttered, then turned towards Taelus, signalling to ask Baird to break out his tricorder as she did. For the second time in the lab, Tw'eak was surprised by someone suddenly in close proximity - this time, the Romulan commander, who strode with arms crossed towards her and stood unexpectedly at arm's length.

"Thank you for your aid," Taelus said, "but I must ask you to return to your ship at once."

"I don't think so," Tw'eak said, crossing her own arms. "There's no way the Federation is going to stand for this."

"Our research here is critical to the survival of the Romulan Star Empire."

"If you mean that you're doing your best to increase the likelihood they assimilate the Star Empire, maybe."

"We are studying salvaged Borg devices. Bear in mind that this technology is now the sovereign property of the Romulan Star Empire."

Tw'eak's eyes narrowed, and she looked from Taelus to the anxious technicians beyond her. "I don't care if it belongs to the Q Continuum - you're risking the safety of the whole galaxy with these experiments. Lieutenant?"

"She's not wrong about it being Romulan," Rau confirmed. "Some of it might've started out Romulan, I mean, but the Borg tech grafted right into the lab consoles."

Several of the researchers gasped, and Taelus attempted to step past Tw'eak. "I cannot share the secrets of our research, even with our rescuers."

"Huh, that's too bad," Rau retorted, holding up her tricorder. "You just did. We got everything, Darren?"

Tw'eak glanced over, blocking Taelus by the shoulder, to see Baird had his tricorder out, as well. "Just about, yup."

"It's a dangerous game you're playing here, Commander." Tw'eak said softly into Taelus' ear. "But it's over. Hope you had... fun."

"Your further presence aboard my ship is neither necessary nor desirable," Taelus snarled as she swatted Tw'eak's hand from her shoulder. "For your own safety, I advise you to leave and forget what you have seen here."

"Let me assure you, even your best propaganda won't be enough to conceal this. What you've done here, with this technology and to your own people, will never - ever - be forgotten."

Taelus growled, but Rau was faster, putting the muzzle of her rifle between her commander and the Romulan. "That's enough," the Betazoid lieutenant snarled.

Tw'eak stepped backwards and tapped her commbadge. "Sh'abbas to _Repulse_," she said. "Three to beam out."

Taelus' growl became a shriek of, "shoot them! SHOOT THEM!"

But it was too late for that. Within moments, the three Starfleet officers - and the vital intelligence on the Tal Shiar's research into Borg technology which their tricorders carried - were safely aboard the starship _Repulse_ once again, leaving Taelus pounding the deck plating in futile rage.


	19. Chapter 19

The transporter pad of the starship _Repulse_ was glowing with red light as Tw'eak materialized. She looked up at the officer at the transporter, Chief Faso. "What's going on?" she asked.

The Saurian looked up from his instruments. "We just went to red alert as you were beaming in. Good timing. You're wanted on the bridge."

Tw'eak nodded. She handed her pulsewave to Lieutenant Baird and stepped off the pad. "Drop that off down at the armoury on your way for me, will you?"

"Yeah, sure - hey, Commander?"

Tw'eak turned to see Baird and Rau standing together. "Yeah?"

"Thanks... for getting us back alive."

"Yeah," Rau added, "I thought I was gonna be Borg for sure!"

Tw'eak gave a nod, then smiled. "You both did incredibly well over there - and that's what got us back." She inclined her head towards the door. "But it's not over yet. Report to your stations, we'll debrief later."

"Give 'em hell, boss," Rau called after her as she turned and left.

* * *

The turbolift doors opened, revealing the bridge on full alert. "The _Areinnye_ has powered up its singularity drive," Tw'eak heard V'Sar say.

"We can't just let them go," Sagittori protested from the tactical station.

Tw'eak couldn't read Captain Corlett's expression until she stepped past and stood between him and the viewscreen. He had his hands tented, his face stricken. "I want to be sure, Lieutenant. That's not too much to ask." He looked to Tw'eak. "Report."

"We're at red alert," Tw'eak noted.

"That's only because of the two Borg cubes coming at us," Sagittori replied. "Apparently that's the only reason. Weapons ready, locked onto the warbird, Captain. Whenever you're ready."

Corlett leaned forward in his command chair. "What did you discover over there?"

Tw'eak nodded involuntarily as she said, "they're researching the Borg, alright. We took scans of everything they had in the lab - and we have the survivors of their research efforts aboard as well."

Corlett gritted his teeth. "This... this will cause a diplomatic incident, you realize."

"Oh, I really don't care," Tw'eak replied mercilessly. "They let those people be partially assimilated just to see what would happen. This has gone too far."

Corlett, however, seemed somewhat slower to come around to seeing it her way. "I see. Well, then. They leave me with little choice." His arms fell to his command chair and gripped the armrests. "These people never learn. They go looking for trouble, I swear. First the Iconians, then Hobus, and now this? They're practically begging to be assimilated. I had hoped that, perhaps, you could make them see the danger in what they're doing, but... at least you put an end to their despicable 'research' efforts."

Tw'eak looked up at Sagittori, who gestured towards his console frantically. Indeed, the order to open fire had yet to be given - and since, as the captain was himself well aware, this would create a nightmare for the Federation one way or another, she forced herself not to make any move or say anything that might be inferred as overstepping her place on the chain of command. "Still holding fire, sir" she said meaningfully.

But Corlett seemed not to hear her. "And to think they had - their own people. Romulans, just like themselves, that they tortured... with Borg technology..." Corlett placed particular emphasis on the name of the Borg, and shook his head. "It's unspeakable."

"To be fair, no species really deserves any form of assimilation." Tw'eak had meant herself and her crew - the longer they delayed in destroying the _Areinnye_, the closer the Borg came, and the more likely the Tal Shiar's warbird would escape without consequence while they would be destroyed instead.

But Corlett took this as invitation to further discourse. "Precisely. It's one thing to have access to that level of technology - we need to understand it, so we can keep them from destroying us all. But this? Assimiliation - partial or otherwise - of innocent people? Barbarism, masquerading as science."

Tw'eak frowned. He wasn't wrong, but there would be time for this kind of meaningful discussion well after the combat. They had a window of opportunity, if they acted now. "Captain," V'Sar interrupted. "The _Areinnye_ has raised its shields." A surprising level of annoyance resonated in the voice of the Vulcan operations officer. Tw'eak cringed. The window of opportunity had slammed shut.

This enraged Corlett, and he sprang up from his chair, nearly leveling Tw'eak. "What!? Destroy them."

"We are being hailed," V'Sar said before Sagittori could open fire.

"I don't want to hear from them, open fire!"

Sagittori hesitated, his eyes on Tw'eak. "Captain," she said to Corlett, "it would run contrary to regulations to open fire on a ship which is trying to communicate with us. If you'd like me to find the appropriate regulation-"

V'Sar had it in mind. "_Starfleet Navigational And Combat Regulations_, forty-seventh edition. Regulation one-zero-seven, sub-section-"

"Fine," Corlett said, relenting. "Open the channel."

Taelus loomed large on the screen. "I had hoped to avoid a confrontation with you. Perhaps if you... occupy the Borg, and give us the time we need to re-engage our cloaking device, I will overlook your intrusion into our classified research."

"You've got some nerve talking to a Starfleet captain like that," Corlett snarled. "You've got some nerve altogether - with everything you've done, you'd still gladly leave us to die, or be assimilated - while you run along home like nothing has changed? Not a chance. Occupy the Borg yourselves."

Taelus arched an eyebrow. "I see you are as unreasonable as I expected. Very well." She leaned back from the screen. "Prepare to see the results of our research!"

The channel snapped to black.

"Insolent, conniving, green-blooded-" Corlett stopped himself at the sight of V'Sar. "Take us to red alert!"

"Uh... okay." Sagittori gave Tw'eak a disbelieving look. "We're at red alert, Captain. Weapons ready."

Tw'eak shot back a disapproving glance. "Thank you, Lieutenant." This cowed Sagittori, and he glared at his console, not wishing to meet Tw'eak's gaze. Obviously, Corlett's method of handling combat with excessive speechifying was frustrating for tactical officers like Sagittori and Tw'eak, but a proper sense of respect for the rank, if not for the man, was in order on the bridge.

"The Romulans are locking weapons," V'Sar indicated.

"Destroy them!" Corlett insisted.

"Finally," Sagittori muttered as he input the attack sequence. Moments later, the forward phaser banks of the _Repulse_ energized and fired. The impact struck the _Areinnye_ on the port wing and aft quarter, as the warbird moved to turn to bring its forward weapons to bear.

Tw'eak moved forward to beside the conn. "Stay ahead of them," she advised Ensign Koepka. "Right on their elbow."

"Just my plan," the helm officer responded.

Repulse burst forward from its stationary position, its phasers continuing to strike home against the port side of the warbird. There was a sort of desperate tango in space - the _Valdore_-type Romulan vessel maneuvering within its turn radius in an almost flat spin with _Repulse_ arcing around, trying to remain just behind it. Then Koepka's hands flashed across the helm console, and the starship lurched into its z-axis - now below and behind the turning warbird, _Repulse_ turned just enough that Lieutenant Sagittori was able to put a pair of photon torpedoes right into its weakened aft hull, damaging the warbird's impulse engines.

"They're slowing down," Sagittori advised.

"Most of their weapons are mounted facing from their frontal arc," Tw'eak advised. "We need to disable their singularity drive, before they can warp out of here."

"I'll try to narrow my firing pattern," the tactical officer replied. "Not sure quite where, but..."

Tw'eak pointed on the viewscreen. "Underneath - there, centre-line." She then looked to V'Sar. "Can we put a tractor beam on them? It would help."

"I will endeavour to do so, however, I will not be able to hold them in place for very long."

"I just need a few seconds - enough time for us to come about, give them a full burst of phasers."

"Very well." V'Sar worked at her console. "Engaging ventral tractor beam."

From below the _Steamrunner_-class starship's deflector module came a blue prism of light that snared the _Areinnye_ in place. Both ships reacted to the shearing force of being briefly tethered together - _Repulse_'s nose spun towards the warbird, while _Areinnye_ presented its full aft quarter to the starship.

On the bridge, Tw'eak was pleased to see her tactic working exactly as she had hoped. "Now!" she cried.

The starship _Repulse_ opened fire, forward beam banks and photon torpedo launchers blasting the _Areinnye_'s now-unshielded hindquarters. Within moments, the damage began to tell, and its warp nacelles and ship lighting flickered tellingly.

"The singularity drive is offline." V'Sar looked at her console. "Their shields have collapsed."

It was Ensign Koepka who noticed first. "Look!" she said, pointing at the viewscreen.

There was an explosion, then a second, and the chain reaction began to spread. "Back us off!" Corlett demanded.

"Already am," Koepka replied.

_Repulse_ inched back as the _Areinnye_ imploded, its singularity drive no longer in a contained state. Within moments the warbird wrenched its nose upwards, its back broken. Both of its wings, and other assorted debris, were slowly constricted and destroyed in the implosion. The full reverse thrust of _Repulse_ prevented it from being drawn in, but not unaffected.

"Forward shields are down to 14%," V'Sar noted.

"Transfer shield strength, best that you can," Tw'eak replied.

"We're receiving another hail," Sagittori added. "From-"

The chorus of the assimilated precluded Sagittori from finishing. "We are the Borg."

No sooner had the last flickering suction of the dying artificial singularity vanished from the viewscreen than two Borg cubes appeared out of warp in front of _Repulse_.

"Resistance is futile. You cannot defeat us. Surrender now and we will add your biological and technological distinctiveness-"

"Turn that off," Corlett barked. "Prepare to withdraw."

Tw'eak turned fiercely. "Withdraw?"

"We can't stand up to two of them," Corlett explained, hand towards the viewscreen. "That would be suicide."

"They know we have their technology," Tw'eak insisted. "And they know we're a threat. They're not going to just let us go."

"They may." Corlett looked past Tw'eak. "Helm, set a course, one-seven-two mark nine-three."

"Course laid in." Koepka made her inputs at the helm.

"Warp nine. Engage."

_Repulse_ spun about, and its warp engines spooled up to leap to safety, when the lead cube caught the starship in a tractor beam. Now, much the same way that the warbird _Areinnye_ had died, _Repulse_'s aft quarter was an open target for the Borg.

Tw'eak caught herself from being vaulted over the helm with her right arm, and Koepka bucked to the far side of her station. Behind the captain, both V'Sar and Sagittori were thrown about by the inertial effect of the tractor beam. "We are being held," V'Sar noted impassively. "Shields are being drained."

"Modulate our shield nutation," Tw'eak ordered through gritted teeth. It was bad enough that Captain Corlett had chosen to hesitate rather than put the _Areinnye_ to the sword when they had a chance. Now his decision - no speech about Borg technology this time - to bolt at the first sign of danger had put them at a tactical disadvantage.

A fast-moving escort like the _Steamrunner_-class was built with its forward weapons arc being its most powerful, using its agility and speed to find advantageous firing positions against all manner of adversary craft. A Borg cube was an enormous target, and the best chance they had was to attack to disable before withdrawing. Instead they had two of them, at 100% readiness, and no chance of escape with both directly aft.

Now they needed a miracle if they were going to survive.


	20. Chapter 20

Upon consideration, it could be said that Commander Tw'eak Sh'abbas had endured worse days during her Starfleet service. There was the time she had been nearly murdered during a negotiation by an assailant armed with the kut'luch blade known to be favoured by Klingon assassins, while protecting her captain. That wound had left a long, jagged scar upon her neck. Her body had not reacted well to the dermal regeneration process - it never had liked being told where to grow its skin - so the standard procedure had been limited in its effectiveness in repairing the mark from the kut'luch's horrific wound.

That recovery process, however, had been nothing compared to the shock and grief she had endured, over the months that followed, as a consequence of being ambushed by a plasma weapon at close range. The plasma had destroyed her right arm, leading her to eventually be fitted with a bio-mechanical replacement, but had also left extensive scarring from the burn trauma across her torso. She had volunteered to take point on that away mission, a choice that had nearly cost Tw'eak her life.

Both sets of scars were easily concealed beneath the Starfleet uniform, with its high collar and long sleeves. Less obvious perhaps were the heavy toll which had been taken in burying so many of her relations who had died during Starfleet service, or the long desperate times she had spent alone during service which had turned her into the asocial, duty-minded commander she had become. She had often been considered an ideal officer, but she knew that her commitment to her work was driven not by ambition but by a desire to escape into the confines of routine and procedure, in order to feel a part of something, or rather, so that she didn't have to feel.

This was part of what gave her such a desolating fear of being assimilated. It wasn't the invasive, violating presence of nanoprobes and armatures - she had already dealt with enough of that just healing from wounds received in combat. Between the two major life-threatening injuries and the thousands of others she had received during her service, she wondered how much of herself had been regenerated, hyposprayed or stimulated into existence rather than being the genuine article. No, her fear - and it was a powerful motivator, both before on the now-destroyed Romulan warbird, and here, as her ship hovered suspended in space by a Borg tractor beam - was of being trapped in her own mind, forced to watch with no company but the very same self she so frequently sought to avoid, as she served out the remaining days of her corporeal existence in service to the Collective.

The brief moments spent in her own mind - a mere fraction of a second in real-time - now were dispelled, as she used an old trick she had learned during the year she had spent on Vulcan to bring her mind wholly into the present, rather than allow it to spin a narrative of anxiety and self-doubt. There had to be a way to bring this situation back into their favour, but... how?

"Sir, there's another ship coming in..." Lieutenant Jon Sagittori reported from tactical.

"Identify," Tw'eak called out, cutting off her captain, who held tight to the arms of his command chair.

"It's... a warbird. A smaller one - from the Republic, not the Empire. They're engaging the Borg!"

"They are also hailing us," Lieutenant Commander V'Sar added.

"Let's hear it," Captain Corlett replied.

The viewscreen flashed to life, showing the interior of a Romulan warbird, albeit one with better internal lighting (and less damage) than the last one Tw'eak had seen. "This is Commander Genn of the Romulan Republic warbird _T'Vorna_. We are responding to a distress signal from an I.R.W. _Areinnye_. However, we have discovered you here instead."

"Captain Avery Corlett, Federation starship _Repulse_. The _Areinnye _has elected to self-destruct, it seems. We can make a full report on their fate, and their activities, assuming we survive."

"We are engaging the Borg. Do you require any other assistance?"

"Knock that tractor beam out, would you?."

Commander Genn smiled - a shockingly different sight for Tw'eak to see compared to the _Areinnye_'s angry commander. "With pleasure. _T'Vorna_ out."

The _Dhelan_-class warbird lined up its plasma cannons and blasted the tractor beam emitter on the lead cube. Within moments, another tractor beam appeared, this time targeting the _T'Vorna_. By now, Ensign Koepka had brought the Repulse around enough that its starboard phasers knocked out the new tractor beam emitter. This caused the Borg to change tactics, launching a salvo of its own plasma weapons in both directions at once.

"Try to withdraw in good order with the warbird," Tw'eak advised Koepka. "We'll do better if we can separate them, but stay close enough to strike together."

"I'll try," Koepka said, then added, "but then what?"

Tw'eak racked her brain, trying to think of some way to allow them to target the Borg more precisely, maybe disable them in some fashion-

She hit her commbadge. "Sh'abbas to sickbay."

"Sickbay. Th'zarik here."

"Shev, do you still have those Borg research victims from the _Areinnye_ in sickbay?"

"I was just about to clear them and release them to guest quarters."

"Bring them to the bridge. I need their help."

* * *

It took a minute for Ensign Th'zarik to bring the three partially-assimilated Romulans to the bridge. In that time, _Repulse_ and _T'Vorna_ had slowly drawn off one cube, while the other seemed more intent upon scanning the relatively small quantity of what remained of the warbird _Areinnye_.

The sight of the Romulans in the turbolift made Captain Corlett stammer in surprise. "What - Commander, explain."

Tw'eak ignored him, and walked over to Ensign Th'zarik. "Thank you - wait around a minute, if you will." She smiled warmly at the three Romulans. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself earlier, or even welcome you aboard. I'm Commander Twaiheak Sh'abbas, and this is the starship _Repulse_."

The Romulans barely heard her, each of them riveted to the viewscreen. "Are we - are we being attacked by the Borg?" one of them asked.

"Yes. And I want to ask for your help. Starfleet research has shown that the Borg collective subspace network unifies all those who have been assimilated - in one fashion or another - and in certain cases, strong-willed individuals can extract key information from the Borg. Their collective nature becomes a weakness, instead of a strength."

"What are you asking us to do?" another of the Romulans said.

"You remember Lieutenant Sagittori," Tw'eak said, gesturing towards the busy tactical officer.

"Yes," one of the Romulans said.

"I'd like to ask - and I'm asking for volunteers, this is Starfleet, you have every right to say 'no' - but if Ensign Th'zarik could, just for a few minutes, re-activate part of your Borg implants, so that we can use your connection to the Borg in order to aid our targeting of our weapons, it might make all the difference."

The shortest of the Romulans, who had not said anything, stepped forward. "I would be very pleased to be of assistance." She looked at Th'zarik. "There is no need to re-activate any of the implants." Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Tw'eak. "I can hear them," she whispered. "They are afraid. As they should be."

Tw'eak nodded, taken aback at the Romulan's tone, then gestured for her to come to the tactical station. "What's your name?"

"I am R'len. _Jolan tru_."

"Where should we start?"

R'len looked down at the console, and pointed out a spot upon the tactical readout of the cube. Her head tilted and her voice became distant. "They are attempting to route power through their tertiary electro-plasma capacitors."

"Locking weapons," Sagittori said from beside Tw'eak.

R'len stepped in front of Sagittori, startling the lieutenant. "Please. May I?"

Sagittori looked at Tw'eak, who nodded to R'len. "What the hell?" Sagittori demanded.

"I have served as a tactical officer in the Republic, prior to my capture by the Tal Shiar." R'len added. "Your systems are not dissimilar to ours. I am capable." She began engaging weapon locks and narrowing the band on the ship's phasers to a particular setting.

Sagittori raised his hands, relenting. "Alright, be my guest." He looked over at the other two Romulans. "How's it goin'."

A burst of phaser fire and torpedoes from _Repulse_'s forward weapons struck the Borg cube exactly where R'len had ordered. V'Sar's head rose from her station. "Borg cube has been... disabled? Fascinating." Then she added, "They have engaged self-destruct mechanism."

"Get us clear, helm," Corlett commanded. He gave Tw'eak a disapproving look. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Tw'eak nodded. "It worked when Captain Picard did this, at the battle of Sector 001. I don't see how the Borg work any differently, now and then." She turned to V'Sar. "Ask the _T'Vorna_ to match our weapons telemetry - to target the Borg exactly where we do. Let's see if we can't double our firepower."

"Indeed," V'Sar replied as she sent the message.

"Can you... bring the other cube closer?" R'len asked softly.

"Evasive pattern delta... complete," Koepka said. "We're clear of the first cube. Engaging second target."

Behind the _Repulse_, with the Republic warbird _T'Vorna_ flying alongside, the first of the Borg cubes briefly went dark, then exploded in a cascade of fire and smoke. The second cube came to a halt, then fell back, as if afraid. Both warbird and starship opened fire upon the cube, _T'Vorna_ taking an open shot before its plasma cannons triangulated the impact of _Repulse_'s phaser beams, and they struck in unison. For its part, the cube fired back, a few blasts of plasma and a tachyon beam, draining the shields of the Federation ship. This seemed, however, to be nothing but a parting blow. The Borg cube changed the angle of its vertices, then was gone.

"They've gone to warp," Sagittori exclaimed. "They ran away!"

"It appears that the futility of our resistance was... exaggerated," V'Sar observed, eyebrow raised.

"Vengeance," R'len declared, "is never futile for a Romulan." Her eyes gleamed coldly, and her face wore an odd little smile. "Thank you for this opportunity, Commander."

Tw'eak was unsettled by the look of glee on the Romulan's face. "My... thank you." Unable to refer to the action as being an honour, she looked quickly to Ensign Th'zarik. "We'll contact the _T'vorna_ and ask them to receive these three as guests of the Republic. No doubt they'll be looking forward to getting back to ...where they belong."

Th'zarik nodded. "I'll take them to the transporter room." He and the Romulans returned to the turbolift, and for the first time, Tw'eak noted the vaguely mechanical aspect in the three Romulans' movements - arms held out at angles, heads cocked to one side, bodies swaying laterally as they stepped forward. The turbolift door closed, and they were gone.

So was Captain Corlett. "Commander, I'll see you in my ready room." He was out the door before Tw'eak could acknowledge.

V'Sar looked up. "We are being hailed by the _T'Vorna_," she advised.

"Can you handle that, V'Sar? I'd... better see what the captain wants."

"Understood."

"Commander," Sagittori said as Tw'eak made her way past the vacant command chair.

Tw'eak stopped and turned. "Yeah?"

"Respectfully, ma'am... whatever he says in there..." Sagittori pumped his arm. "That was so awesome."

Tw'eak smiled. "Thank you."

"Oh yeah! I never expected a Borg cube to turn and run away like that!" Ensign Koepka added.

Tw'eak shook off the good feeling that her junior officers' approval had given her. She knew that walking into the ready room with a smile on her face would only make it worse. Once again, she cleared her mind, coming fully into the moment, before she stepped through the door into the captain's ready room.


	21. Chapter 21

The door opened to Captain Corlett's ready room, and Tw'eak stepped through. He was seated at his desk, a padd and a few other tools spread out before him.

"Sit down," Corlett said, his voice not betraying a hint of emotion.

Tw'eak did as she was told, careful to present herself as patient, polite, even cordial. Corlett sat silently for a moment, his eyes fixated upon the nearest bulkhead, and the sense of being under threat of disciplinary action passed through her mind. That certainly was the impression he was giving - distaste, as though what he was about to say was going to hurt, or rather, that he sincerely hoped it would.

"Do you have a family, Commander?" he asked.

Tw'eak wondered for a moment if he had sensed her vulnerability on this subject, or if it was coincidence. "Not of my own, no."

"Really. I find it one of life's many great joys, to know that I have a place to come home to, after all this is done. My oldest is eight this year. He's doing quite well in school, looking forward to one day joining up and serving in Starfleet. The adventures he thinks we have out here... I don't know where he gets his ideas."

Tw'eak nodded. "How many siblings does he have?"

"Just one. A younger sister, she's going to be three. It's a bit of a gap, but that's the life of a Starfleet captain - duty first, home life whenever you can get there."

For a moment, Tw'eak didn't know what to say. "My shreya used to say something similar," she offered.

"That's... one of your fathers, in Andorian custom, right?"

"My mothers, actually. Thavan and charan, shreya and zhavey."

"Four parents. Big family?"

Tw'eak smiled. "Not by Andorian standards. Only eleven of us."

"Eleven - so, seven kids. My word." Corlett shook his head. "And they've all, no doubt, gone on to greater things."

"Not really. One sister and all four of my brothers have all died in Starfleet service. My youngest sister just finished at the Academy last year."

Tw'eak's intention to talk further about her sister's posting was curtailed by Corlett. "You mean they're all dead?" he stammered.

"Along with my _thavan_ and _zhavey_, yes." She shrugged. "I don't want to sound matter-of-fact, like it doesn't matter. They meant a great deal to me, each of them."

Corlett's face soured. "You see, where I get a little doubt creep into my mind, on that point, is in how frequently you seem to be devoting your efforts to joining their number. I presume Andorians believe in some form of afterlife, no?"

Tw'eak furrowed her brow. Clearly the cordial time was over. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You see, you've been aboard my ship, what, two months now?"

"Sixty-seven days," Tw'eak corrected, before sharply adding, "sir."

"So a little over that. Doesn't matter. Before you came aboard, we were rousting out birds-of-prey, Orion corvettes... worst day we'd have would be a Gorn cruiser or a Klingon warship show up. And then, my previous XO would engage, but conservatively, with the intention of being able to withdraw - always having a route of escape in mind. We'd call for reinforcements before we went to red alert, if we needed them, sensibly. No sense in going alone and getting killed."

"If you're seeking to offer a critique of my performance today, then please do."

"You're reckless, Commander. You're putting yourself, and my ship, in harm's way once too often."

"Respectfully, sir, I didn't conjure the Tal Shiar - on either occasion we've encountered them."

"No, but you also didn't hesitate to engage them, either."

"It's a key tenet of Romulan tactical doctrine, as well as in their philosophy - they respect bold actions. They don't react well to when their plans are thwarted by such actions. In both cases, I believe decisive, immediate action was called for - decisive action which I took because, frankly, you didn't."

Corlett's eyes widened, astonished. "I beg your pardon."

"With all due respect, Captain, your hesitation on the bridge today was unacceptable. We had a clear shot on the _Arreinye_. We should've taken it - before they had their shields up."

"They were hailing us!"

"Not at that point, they weren't." Tw'eak had a working memory of the chronometer at that moment. "They didn't hail us until fourteen twenty-three. We had them at a total disadvantage from fourteen twenty-one until then."

Corlett chuckled dismissively. "You have a perfect working of the time in those exact moments, all of a sudden."

"I do, in fact. Because that was the decisive moment. One we let slip."

"Do you not understand?" Corlett sprang up and walked over to the window, the bright flashing colours of the jukebox in the corner dancing across his uniform's black fabric. "I have an obligation to these people under my command. To put them to the sword in the name of some avoidable risk... it's unacceptable."

"Neither of the risks we encountered, in either of our engagements with the Tal Shiar, were avoidable - or obvious in advance." Tw'eak crossed her legs, her tone of voice unperturbed. "In fact, we were put to that risk in the name of our duty - first during routine patrol, and then today in response to a distress signal."

Corlett turned and stared at her for a moment - another in the conversation's many long intervals. "And it's as simple as that for you, is it. Duty and routine."

"If needs must, then yes."

"There are _ninety-three_ souls aboard this vessel, Commander - yours and mine included. We have a responsibility to their well-being, and their continued service, not to take unsanctioned risks in pursuit of some damned fool ideas of heroism and sacrifice."

Tw'eak jumped on the opportunity. "Am I to infer from this that you will indicate to me which risks are sanctioned in future?"

Corlett took another moment, staring, his jaw grinding, his hands behind his back. "No," he finally said, "that won't be necessary."

"Very well. May I remind the captain that, under regulations, if he should find my overall level of performance to be less than expected, he can request another first officer at any time?"

"You've really got some nerve, reminding me of that."

Tw'eak fought to keep the edge out of her voice. "There are also additional provisions in exceptional circumstances... in the event our relationship becomes irreconcilable."

"I'll keep that in mind, Commander." Corlett turned back to the window. "In the meantime, I'd like you to bear in mind that I have a family out there who I haven't seen in three and a half years, except by subspace. And I'm not the only one who's been out here for years, either."

"In that case, may I suggest that the captain consider taking shore leave?"

"Shore leave? We just got tangled up in this Borg business and you expect me to walk away now?"

Tw'eak tilted her head. "Did you not just say you haven't been home in two and a half years? That's far too lengthy a period of time - according to regulations, that is."

"Regulations. Always with the regulations. You're as bad as a Vulcan."

"I'll take that as a compliment." She leaned forward. "But I'd still like to know why."

Corlett paused again, then looked over, confused. "Why what?"

"Why haven't you taken leave in all that time. That level of extended time aboard ship is also against regulations."

"I can't trust that this ship will continue to run without me."

Tw'eak fought the urge to remind Corlett just how badly run this ship had become with him aboard - crew morale desperately poor, all manner of inefficiencies and maintenance headaches to resolve, all seemingly caused by an absentee captain who couldn't stand being responsible for all of it. Suddenly, it all made sense. Corlett was overwhelmed, unresponsive not by choice but as a defensive measure, to save himself further burden of stress. His concerns weren't about her conduct, but his insecurities. "I would like the chance for us to prove otherwise," she finally replied.

"Of course you would," Corlett snarled. "Get me out of the way and you get the big chair all to yourself. Clearly nothing would suit you better. I know your type - I've served with plenty like you who wanted nothing more than a starship of their own. Headstrong, impetuous, no interest in anything but their own narrow ambitions."

Tw'eak raised an eyebrow. She recognized desperation when she saw it - or in this case, heard it. Corlett's gambit - speaking harshly to Tw'eak - was clearly intended as a provocation. It was bait - ample bait, at that. She refused to take it. "With respect, Captain..." she started, getting her rising emotions back in order, "nothing would suit you better than showing confidence in your crew by taking the leave you deserve."

"I don't follow."

"Your... persistence in being here is giving them a sense that they're doing something wrong."

"Well, they are." Corlett waved a hand at his desk. "Look at these numbers."

"Exactly. You're unhappy with them, they can sense it. Trust them to improve in your absence, and they just might."

"They just might not, too," Corlett replied, obstinate.

"I can't deny that." She stood. "Look. Take the leave - take as long as you want. If you don't return to a ship that is a satisfactory improvement over the state it's in now, then I will accept total responsibility and request a transfer."

"I can barely trust you to bring me back a ship in one piece!"

Tw'eak suppressed a cringe and persevered. "I'm not finished."

Corlett raised both eyebrows, and again, silence for a moment. "Go on."

"When you do return, however, and find the ship to be not just in one piece, but working better than ever... I'll expect you to bring with you two cases of Andorian ale."

"Two cases - what the devil for?"

"Well, I'll need something to motivate them with in your absence, won't I?" Tw'eak smiled. "This way they'll be sure to be overjoyed at your return, as well. But please, only authentic Andorian ale, too, please - no synthehol. It ruins the... what do you call it, the floral arrangement...?"

"The bouquet," Corlett snarled. Another lapse in comment followed, but Tw'eak could see Corlett's eyes boring into hers, intent on finding some way to throw her plan into chaos. "Two cases," he said finally. "You're on."

Tw'eak nodded gratefully. "Alright."

"We'll be near enough to Starbase 82 in a couple of hours, I'll make my way from there. That'll be all."

Yet Tw'eak didn't move.

"Something else on your mind, Commander? I'd think you'd have said enough already."

Tw'eak looked towards Corlett's desk. "Shouldn't you call them, sir?"

"Call them?"

"To tell them that you're coming."

"Ah. Oh, yes. I suppose I should." Corlett frowned. "Just have to look up the time of day in Minneapolis. I don't want to wake them."

"I don't think they'll mind," Tw'eak replied. Before she turned to leave, she thought of something. "One last question, sir?"

"What now? I can't contact anyone privately if you keep asking questions."

"It's about the Borg, actually. In both encounters you seemed ...particularly interested in their technology. I was curious as to why."

Corlett bristled, hinting to Tw'eak that she was onto something. "It represents something we're not capable of. I was a chief engineer for thirteen years, I have a somewhat obsessive interest in what makes them tick."

"That's it. Not for any personal reasons?"

Once again, Corlett ground his teeth. "No, I don't suppose you'd be content with that, would you." He narrowed his eyes at Tw'eak. "All those people you lost... all your mothers and brothers... were any of them ever taken, by the Borg?"

"No, sir. None of them ever faced the Borg, as far as I know."

"You're lucky." Corlett's eyes turned to the stars again. "My... current family... is with another woman, not my wife. About fifteen years ago, Clara was ...I can't even say it. And I struggled with it for years - are we not still married, even though she's - ?" Corlett's expression became grief-stricken. "It took me the better part of a decade to accept that Clara wouldn't be coming back. She may have died on that cube we destroyed today, I don't know where she is. I don't know what's happened to her since then. She's... a Borg, now. But Starfleet's official policy is that the assimilated are killed in action. Not the first time a Starfleet policy and I have disagreed."

"I'm sorry," Tw'eak said.

"You're sorry." Corlett harrumphed. "You don't know what it's like - the sheer hell of it, to know that the one you loved, all your experiences with her, all her memories of you... that they reside within a collective hive-mind now, if they even continue to be part of her at all. Yet to accept that she's dead... means accepting that part of me died with her. I resent that I can't go to her, that I can't bring her back. That's... not my responsibility any longer. I wanted to go over there, you know. I wanted to lead the team myself - I knew you wouldn't just let me, but I also knew she wouldn't be there. Even then, I wouldn't know how to explain to her, about Trisha."

"Is that the name of your current ...partner?"

"Yes. We met through a survivors' group, for people who lost loved ones ...that way." Corlett's face tightened. "It's ridiculous that this still hurts so much to talk about. Trisha understands. She lost a husband of her own before she accepted me. It was difficult, but we reached something like your Andorian custom - a four-person arrangement, of sorts. She understands me, better than anyone. She's an incredible woman in her own right. But - she's not Clara."

Something occurred to Tw'eak. "That daughter you mentioned... the one who's almost three..." She caught sight of Corlett nodding before she said it. "You've never met her, have you?"

"Not officially, no. In fact, she's... part of the reason I haven't been home. You see, Trisha thought it would be fitting to name her Claire, a tribute to Clara." He shook his head. "I didn't mind so much when she named our son Pierce, after her lost husband, but the second time... She was so certain I'd be thrilled. I... can't say I was."

"No? For my people, to give the same name to a newborn child as a living relative is a very high honour."

Corlett caught her meaning - a living relative, neither assimilated nor dead - and gave a silent nod. "Anyway, the children keep Trisha busy enough, without me adding to it, so I haven't been back. But... I suppose there's no reason to carry that on any longer." He cleared his throat. "These things are difficult to speak of, Commander, especially... for a stubborn old bastard like me. I hope I can trust you'll keep this to yourself."

"That's what first officers are for," she replied, and stood to leave. "I hope you enjoy every moment at home with all of them." She gave a nod. "I'll handle things here until you return. Don't forget to call them, sir. I'm sure they'll be glad to hear from you."

Corlett just hovered and watched Tw'eak leave.


	22. Chapter 22

Returning to the bridge, Tw'eak was aware of a certain uneasiness present in the room. She looked around. "Everyone alright?"

Lieutenant Commander V'Sar was the first to speak. "I have just received a hail from Starfleet for the captain."

"Put it through to his ready room, then."

"I already have." V'Sar raised an eyebrow. "Captain Nicholas Martin. He said he had an urgent matter to discuss with the captain."

"Then I presume he will." She took a few steps and stood between the operations and tactical consoles, careful not to let on that she recognized the name of Captain Martin from their previous encounter, one which had involved the starship Kolibri. "Let's carry on. I'm sure the captain will tell us if there's anything more we need to know."

"Captain Martin was - um - with the Federation Science Council, that one time," Lieutenant Sagittori noted, careful in his wording.

"Indeed," V'Sar continued just as carefully, "his arrival ensued from our previous contact with the Tal Shiar."

"And they've spoken before, on occasion, have they not?" Tw'eak asked.

"Affirmative," V'Sar replied.

"So what's the issue?"

"His voice," Sagittori said.

"His voice?" Shaking her head, Tw'eak turned towards Sagittori. "What about his voice?"

"Captain Martin's. Something's wrong. Seriously wrong." Sagittori's eyes widened.

"We'll see." Sagittori's manner unnerved Tw'eak, in a way she was careful not to broadcast - and she strained her antennae aloft as best she could so that they wouldn't broadcast it, either. "What's our status?" she asked aloud.

"On course for our next system patrol," Ensign Koepka declared, at the helm.

"Which is what?"

"Sigma Kappa," Sagittori replied. "Three planets, two class K and a gas giant. Maybe some pirates, raiders..."

But no Borg, Tw'eak thought to herself. "Alright," she said coolly. "Time to arrival?"

"Three hours," Koepka said. "I can get that down to under three if I can increase to warp seven."

"No rush," Tw'eak replied. She smiled at Koepka. "You just want to go faster, admit it."

Koepka gave a little shrug. "Warp six just feels so slow."

"This starship is currently traveling in excess of the speed of light by a factor of -"

"I know, I know." Koepka pointed V'Sar's attention to the conn. "I just mean on the navigation charts. We could get to our objective so much faster if we just... went faster, you know?"

"Faster speeds require exponentially more warp power generation to be sustained," V'Sar replied, "as well as substantially increasing the quantity of maintenance required aboard the ship."

"Yeah, and I'm really not in any hurry to go back to yellow alert over here," Sagittori added. "Your board might not be moving fast enough, but mine's empty - and I like it." He patted his console lovingly. "Hope it always looks this clear."

"Jon!" Koepka exclaimed, her face stricken.

"What?"

Koepka's eyes fell but her chance to reply was curtailed by Captain Corlett's appearance from the ready room. His facial expression and unexpected urgency of manner ruined the sense of mirth which Tw'eak had sought to create.

"Alter course," the captain ordered, "and increase to warp nine."

"New heading?"

"Get us to the Omicron Kappa system. Maximum warp." Corlett sat down in his command chair and immediately wheeled it around towards Tw'eak. "Lieutenant, take us to red alert."

Sagittori frowned almost apologetically at his console, and engaged the alert. Ship-wide lights dimmed and became tainted with crimson, while the klaxon echoed in the bridge space.

"I want the two of you to come up with randomized frequency patterns for our phasers - V'Sar, pre-program modulations to our shield nutation."

Sagittori and Tw'eak exchanged knowing glances. "The Borg, sir?" she asked Corlett.

"So it would seem," he said. "There's a Starfleet research team down on the second planet in the system. They've collected crucial data, but their position is being threatened by the Borg."

"Is this mission related to our previous encounter with Captain Martin and the starship _Kolibri_?" V'Sar asked.

Corlett hesitated for a moment. "The research team is one of Captain Martin's, yes."

"Will there be Borg vessels in the system?" Sagittori asked.

Corlett nodded. "Count on it." He turned back to facing forward. "Time to arrival in Omicron Kappa, helm?"

"At current speed, forty-seven minutes."

"Are we at maximum warp?"

"We're getting there," Koepka replied. "I don't think the engine room was expecting to go that fast right now."

Corlett snarled. "Let me know when we've arrived. I need to go talk to Starfleet."

"May I speak with you for a moment before you do, Captain?" Tw'eak asked.

Corlett merely ignored her. "Be ready when we arrive in-system."

"Ready for what?" Sagittori asked once the ready room doors were closed. "He hasn't told us what to expect."

"Borg," V'Sar said, with the Vulcan equivalent of a shrug.

"Yeah, but how many? One ship, ten? A whole - what do you call them? Not a task force, or a fleet, but a - what? A herd of Borg? A murder?"

"They are a collective." V'Sar raised her eyebrow. "Regardless of their precise quantity, they are unified into a single hive-mind."

"Fine, the whole hive-mind could be there for all we know." Sagittori shook his head. "It's just kinda helpful to know what we're doing, y'know, as a tactical officer, if we get some tactical intelligence."

Tw'eak took a deep breath. "Let's take a break," she said. "All of us - half an hour. Take a walk, get a coffee, come back fresh. We'll need to be ready, so let's try to calm down in the meantime."

"Maybe your coffee breath will keep them from assimilating you, Jon," Koepka joked as she left her station. She then stopped suddenly and looked at Tw'eak. "Am I okay to leave it on automated for now, ma'am?"

"I will maintain helm control from my station," V'Sar said.

"You're not stepping away?" Tw'eak asked.

"Respectfully, no. I would be willing to remain here to commence long-range sensor scans as soon we are in range. Like the lieutenant, I would like to know the threat disposition, imminently."

"Alright, suit yourself. I'll be in the conference room. Let me know if you need me."

V'Sar nodded, and Tw'eak made her way to sit down for a few minutes.

* * *

Replicated katheka left something to be desired. Tw'eak wasn't sure what - it would have helped if knew since she could have modified the recipe to be more what she expected - but it didn't give her the same proper feel. There were probably nuanced, subtle little differences from one cup to the next, but that first sip, every time... and there was nothing else quite like it. She took a first sip from her cup, and savoured it for a moment. Or at least, she tried.

Grimacing at the cup for not living up to her expectations, she reflected at how frequent that feeling had become as a part of her day. There was always something - today it was the warp engines taking their sweet time creeping up to warp nine, yesterday it had been something else. She had a brittle ship's doctor with no bedside manner, an abrasive chief engineer who was more interested in his collection of nicknames for his team than in the engines, and a captain whose attitude towards every last aspect of his responsibilities was a surly, distant curtness, as though his duty was an imposition.

At least she had pierced that veil at last - finally understanding Captain Corlett a bit better, even if he had only begrudgingly taken her into his confidence. But she imagined his leave would have to wait, at least until the mission at hand was completed. Whether that was better for him or not was an open question, especially given his complex feelings on the Borg, but he was clearly burnt out and unhappy. At this rate, they all would be - even V'Sar, before long.

The door opened and Tw'eak looked up to see Ensign Koepka sneaking in. "Commander?" she asked meekly.

"How can I help you?"

"Can I - would you mind if I joined you?"

"Please," Tw'eak said, indicating a chair. "I had thought - well, perhaps I shouldn't be thinking out loud."

"It's okay. I know what you were going to say. I told Jon to go without me because I wanted to talk to you, if that's alright."

"Certainly. What about?"

"Not - like, I don't know. I shouldn't be worried about this or anything but... well, can I ask you something?"

"I'll answer if I can, sure."

"You're... I mean, you're older than me, but I don't think you're married, are you?"

Tw'eak smiled to hide her dread at the question. "No, I'm not."

"I know V'Sar is, and Lieutenant Raxx..." Koepka tilted her head as though she was experiencing electric shock. "Are we still counting him as part of the bridge crew, even?"

"The captain's had him on some kind of special assignment for the past few weeks."

"It's Borg stuff, I bet."

Tw'eak gave a slight shrug. "He hasn't actually told me."

Koepka sighed. "It's always Borg stuff." She shook her head. "The two of them, a couple times, Jon and I would see them coming into or going out of the holodeck together." Koepka straightened up, unwillingly having said too much. "I mean - before. We haven't been back to - anywhere except the bridge together since you told us, I swear."

Tw'eak smiled. "It's alright. I hope you don't mind me telling you that, well, I'm a little jealous."

"But all that stuff - the regulations and me transferring..."

"That's my duty, yes. But duty and feeling can be in conflict all they want - as long as you act on your duty, not your feelings... that's what counts."

"So you really don't care if we're together or not?"

"I didn't say that," Tw'eak clarified. "And I think a lot of what's become normalized on this ship happened like that - 'I know I'm not supposed to, but just this once'. And then, 'well, nothing happened that other time...' And before long, that cut corner or overlooked violation becomes habitual, becomes routine. The engineering term for it is a 'cascade system failure', but those 'systems' are personal choices, by personnel who should know better." She smiled. "And unfortunately, even if I want something, those regulations are there because we need them - to reduce the personal, to keep things professional and appropriate, whether it's with a colleague, or a duty roster, or... or... a replicator." She took another sip of katheka.

"A replicator?" Koepka said with a laugh.

"Needs maintenance," Tw'eak said, taking another sip. "Trust me."

Koepka looked at Tw'eak's clear cup, curious. "What... is that?"

"Katheka. Replicated katheka, I mean. Not the same. I used to have a little stash, when I served on the Nelson, that I'd keep topped up whenever we'd make a port call, however I could. I didn't bring any with me - maybe I should've. When we arrive at Starbase 234 in a couple weeks, I'll look into it."

"But I mean... what is it?"

"Oh. It's... it's... Andorian."

"Can I try some?"

Tw'eak grimaced. "Mmm, I wouldn't. It's an acquired taste, and given the taste, this is really not how you'll want to start acquiring it. Wait until I get a case of the real stuff, we'll give it a try."

Koepka looked thrilled. "Really?" she asked, her voice excited.

"Yeah." Tw'eak's face was more somber. "It's just... you had some reason for asking me about being married."

"Yeah, I did. I'm thinking about - you know, once I've transferred and everything - about asking Jon to marry me. I think we belong together." She looked down. "I was even thinking about resigning my commission, to be with him."

Tw'eak became thunderstruck, then caught herself. "If that's what you want. I happen to think you're an excellent helm officer."

"Oh, I know, and I love it. But I was thinking I could hack it as a civilian crew member. Or even, maybe go back to the merchant marine. I could probably buy my own freighter. I know the routes well enough, I could pay it off in five, maybe seven years, tops. And then Jon would know where to find me."

Tw'eak smiled thinly. "I suppose. You're lucky, though." Her eyes had a faraway look to them. "I don't expect that you know anything about Andorian culture, our idea of marriage..."

"Don't you have, like, two kinds of guys and two kinds of girls?"

"A bond group, yeah." Tw'eak tapped her gut. "That's the problem. I have a condition that... I don't have a bond group of my own, because of it." Tw'eak chose her words carefully - no easy way to explain it.

"I don't understand."

Tw'eak grimaced, hoping she would've. "When you get married - let's just assume that's going to happen - you'll have a chance to start a family."

"Yeah - well. I mean, we could."

"See, but I couldn't. That's my condition. Bond groups exist, as a concept, because our reproductive process involves four people, not two. And I'm... not able to participate as required. So I was never bonded."

"But that doesn't mean you couldn't get married."

"According to the human, or Vulcan, or even Betazoid custom... no."

Koepka shivered. "Not the Betazoid custom. I... I shouldn't tell you this, but I've never been comfortable with that."

"The nudity?"

"The - that." Koepka chuckled. "What can I say, I'm a freighter kid, anything too far from an EV suit just isn't okay, you know?"

Tw'eak pointed to her antennae. "I have a different problem, having been raised on Andoria. It's always too warm onboard for me."

"Yeah, because it's so cold there, right?" Koepka's eyes fell. "But you must be - I mean, it must be hard for you to go back home, if everyone has three other people and you're just you."

Tw'eak gave a quick nod. "Among other reasons, yeah." She held up her cup of katheka. "But that's where this stuff comes in." She took a quick sip. "See, even now, it's almost at room temperature so it tastes a little different, but it's that taste - or a brisk cold wind, or the feel of an _ushaan-tor_ in my hands, that's what makes me feel that connection."

"What's that? An ooh-sham-door?"

"The _ushaan-tor,_" Tw'eak corrected with a laugh. "It's our ancient custom. We duel with it."

"You guys still duel? Like Klingons do?"

"Only when we have to, for honour or family. I guess that does sound like Klingon culture, but it's very ritualized now, and rarely ever to the death anymore. My _charan_ \- one of my fathers - had a joke he used to tell about the _ushaan-tor_, that it keeps our society honest."

"I - wow, yeah, I guess it would."

"It's not true, though - just like the joke that 'you never see a fat Andorian' for the same reason."

"I guess you'd have to stay in shape, yeah." Koepka wasn't following Tw'eak's humour as such, her response observational. "Just in case."

"You get used to it," Tw'eak said, moving on. "Anyway, I'm a Starfleet officer first, and Andorian second. I never feel comfortable around my own people - unless they're someone I know, because if not, I have to find out their names, their clan affiliations, their bond status, have to greet them with the right ascendancy of respect... then there are questions of their relations in the Wall of Heroes, their status - or their clan status - in the Imperial hegemony... it all gets a bit complicated."

Koepka laughed. "I'm so glad I was born on a freighter, then! All we have to worry about are pirates and cargo thieves."

Tw'eak smiled. "I suspect this wasn't the reason you wanted to ask me about that."

"No. It's just - I'm just... I'm kind of mad at Jon. He knows the rule and I can't believe what he did."

"What?"

"He - you saw him. Did you not?" Tw'eak shook her head, to Koepka's astonishment. "It's one of the oldest rules on the book! Never tell the universe it's quiet in your sector! And what does he do? He goes 'I hope it's never red alert again' - and then out comes the captain, and oh no! Borg!" She threw her hands to the ceiling. "Honestly, though! And now off we go, to... to..."

Tw'eak had been looking into her cup of katheka, torn between the urge to replicate herself a fresh cup, and dreading having to endure another full cup of the stuff in its substandard-at-best state. She realized that Koepka had gone quiet, and looked up at the sound of a sniffle. "Hey," she said softly. "What is it?"

"It's - it's just- " Koepka cleared her throat. "Don't take him, okay?"

"Don't take who - Jon?"

Koepka nodded. "He won't like it - and I know you'll want him - but if you have to go down there, just... please? Can I even ask that? God. There's probably a regulation or something, that he has to go."

Tw'eak shook her head. "But you asked."

"Oh, God - just - just forget I said anything, okay?"

"You know I can't."

"No, I don't - I don't want to mess anything up."

"Look." Tw'eak caught Koepka's eye. "Brienne. Hey. Look at me."

The sound of her first name caught Koepka's attention. "I'm sorry."

"Look at me." Koepka wiped a tear, and then Tw'eak reached a hand out to her, which she took in her own. "I said that because I respect the question. He's my tactical officer. He's sharp, good in a crisis. And he's a damned good shot. But... he's the man you love." Tw'eak nodded. "And, these are the Borg. So, I can - just this once, I can take someone else."

"But what you said - before, about 'just this once'."

"You can return the favour, then."

Koepka looked confused. "How so?"

"Well, just this once, you let me be a total hypocrite, alright?"

This remark gave Koepka something to laugh about, and she did, an awful guffaw sound that caused tears to burst all over the room, including one that landed on Tw'eak's wrist. "Alright, alright, it's a deal." She smiled at Tw'eak. "But only just this once."

"Yes, ma'am," Tw'eak said with a smile.

"I really like you, you know," Koepka continued, wiping her eyes. "So does Jon. Neither one of us has ever served with anyone like you before."

"That's just what I do," Tw'eak replied.

"No, but you - sometimes I wish you were the captain. Like, Captain Corlett, he's fine, he's just... so mean sometimes. Jon says it's because he's just really unhappy being on a little escort starship when he used to be a chief engineer of a battle cruiser, but I think it's more than that."

Tw'eak kept what she knew to herself. "I served for eleven years on an assault cruiser, and I like it here just fine." That eleven years didn't include the time she had spent recuperating after two separate near-death experiences, but Tw'eak kept that to herself, too.

"But you know what I mean. He's so... distant. Miserable."

"I think it's a rule - you're really not supposed to know the captain very well. I got to know my former captain, really well, because she took an interest in me. And before that, Captain Picard sort of did-"

Koepka perked right up. "You served on the _Enterprise_, that's right. You mentioned it before, when we were on the freighter."

Tw'eak gave a slight nod. "I was onboard for three years, right out of the Academy. It was right after they finished the repairs - after the Battle of the Bassen Rift. And then, not much happened, but I did my job, and I guess I made enough of an impression, because he recommended me to Captain Slutskaya of the _Nelson_, and I joined that ship right after I was promoted to Lieutenant. Wasn't all that different, both _Sovereign_-class ships... I can tell you that the _Enterprise_ felt a lot more... monumental, I think is the word. Like it belonged to a part of history, you know? I felt way more comfortable on the _Nelson_."

"Well, it was the flagship of the whole Starfleet for a long time," Koepka replied. "It's so sad that there isn't one right now."

"I think there will be," Tw'eak said. "Soon."

"Me too. Jon says we're losing the war because we don't have an _Enterprise_ out front."

Tw'eak smiled. "I'm surprised he thinks that," she said.

"I know, it's silly. Superstition stuff. I'm hardly one to talk."

"No, no," Tw'eak said with a shake of the head. "That he thinks we're losing the war - he should come to one of my briefings, I'll set him straight."

"Oh!" Koepka covered her mouth with a hand. "I didn't mean that like it sounded!"

Tw'eak stood and put her cup in the replicator, then turned towards the bridge. "Come on, we'd better get back to it."

"Okay. Thank you, Commander."

Tw'eak nodded. "I'm glad we had a chance to talk."

"Me too." Koepka stepped through the door, with Tw'eak right behind her, and returned to the bridge.


	23. Chapter 23

As the starship _Repulse_ arrived in the Omicron Kappa system, the viewscreen became a distinctly green-tinged colour, the slight gaseous tinge of the in-system space giving a reflection of its star's light. In the distance hung the second planet in the system, its surface barely visible. In the space between, several Borg probes - lozenge-shaped vessels not much bigger than an _Oberth_-class starship, and about as much of a threat - turned on their axes and began to move towards the inbound starship.

"I count two probes," Lieutenant Sagittori observed, "coming right at us."

Tw'eak stood next to Sagittori, between tactical and operations. "Engage and destroy," she replied.

The door to the ready room opened, and Captain Avery Corlett emerged. "Report."

"Two Borg probes on intercept course." Lieutenant Commander V'Sar looked to her console. "Shields and all systems nominal."

"Alright," Corlett said, settling in to his command chair. "Prepare to engage. Helm, close the distance."

"Full impulse, aye," Ensign Koepka acknowledged.

Sagittori established a target lock on the forward-most of the two probes. "We'll be within range in... twelve seconds."

There was a moment of silence on the bridge, all faces fixed forward, eyes on the lead probe. At the helm station, Ensign Koepka nudged her control slightly, bringing the probe into as close to perfectly central a position on their forward arc as possible, ready to execute any maneuver, aggressive or evasive, that was asked of her. Lieutenant Commander V'Sar trimmed the power flow to several systems, bringing the energy to the forward weapons and shields as she did. At tactical, Lieutenant Sagittori read the details of the target scan he had just performed, looking for weaknesses. Tw'eak took a quick moment to appreciate her bridge officers. Their efforts, their focus... this was a massive risk, trying to rescue the research team on the planet below. But she felt no anxiety - she knew they were ready.

The sound of phasers firing drew her attention to the forward viewer again, and the launch of the photon torpedoes followed suit. Within moments, the first probe was crippled, well on its way to detonating. The second closed to within range, and Koepka's deft work at the helm brought _Repulse_'s nose towards it next, leaving the first probe behind. Sagittori switched targets, firing across all beam weapons against both targets, fore and aft, which proved enough to destroy the first target while damaging the second. Plasma weapons fire from both targets burned and scorched against the energy of the forward and port shields, but V'Sar manipulated the shields to remain balanced, channelling energy from aft and starboard into the damaged areas, supporting their continued defense.

"Shields at seventy-four percent," the Vulcan announced.

The torpedoes fired again, a spread towards the remaining probe's unshielded surfaces, and within moments the photon explosion spelled its doom. Repulse swiftly passed the dying probe, as its rolling and detonating mass was consumed in fire.

"Both probes destroyed," Sagittori declared.

"Well done," the captain replied. "Get us to the planet."

_Repulse_ continued on its path, narrowing the distance between their transporters and the research team. As it did, two ships came out of warp on either side of it - behind, another Federation starship, while in front-

"Borg sphere at eleven o'clock!" Sagittori exclaimed.

"Distance?" Corlett asked.

The sphere gave an answer of its own, rocking the _Repulse_ with a pair of cutting beams.

"Our shields are being drained," V'Sar said.

"Weapons free!" Corlett ordered.

Tw'eak moved towards Sagittori's side and established a target lock as he fired phasers, then used the target lock to launch a salvo of torpedoes. The sphere continued to fire, its beams striking _Repulse'_s hull.

"Port nacelle has been hit." V'Sar worked at her console. "Warp drive is offline."

"Auxiliary power to the structural integrity field," Corlett ordered.

"Already established. Hazard emitters are also active."

"Good." Corlett returned his attentions forward. "Helm, get us to the planet."

_Repulse_ swept past the sphere. Yet the sphere did not pursue, turning instead towards the new arrival in-system. For good measure, _Repulse_'s aft phasers and torpedoes struck several times on its way, yet the Borg vessel did not alter its course to engage.

"There's another ship behind us," Sagittori noted. He looked up at Tw'eak. "_Excelsior_-class."

Tw'eak looked over at Sagittori's side of tactical. "It's the starship _Tecumseh_."

"Wonder what they're doing all the way out here," Sagittori asked. "Weren't they the ones who rescued your shuttle?"

"The very same," Tw'eak replied.

"Wait." His face tightening, Sagittori leaned over his console. "We're not just going to leave them to get that sphere, are we?"

Corlett turned back, and Tw'eak expected a harsh rebuke, but instead, the captain merely shook his head. "Helm, come about."

"Preparing to re-engage," Sagittori noted.

Within moments, the _Repulse_ was hard over one-eighty, Ensign Koepka gracefully pushing the ship's thrusters to deflect its forward progress into lateral inertia. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Commander V'Sar continued to boost shield power, drawing on emergency reserves and whatever was available. Targeting the sphere, Sagittori let the forward phasers do the work at range, before the _Tecumseh_'s torpedoes and phasers struck the sphere in turn. Preparing a high-yield torpedo, Sagittori timed its launch precisely, waiting until the sphere's shields were nearly down before letting loose. The slower, more potent torpedo burst from the forward tube, and Koepka broke hard to starboard as it began upon its way. For its part, the sphere engaged both _Tecumseh_ and _Repulse_, causing more plasma fires to flash along _Repulse_'s hull. But those few plasma bolts and beams were not enough to seriously damage _Tecumseh_, who fired a torpedo spread of its own. Whether this spread, or _Repulse_'s single blast, caused the Borg vessel's destruction was of little matter.

"Sphere down!" Sagittori cried out.

Corlett nodded, satisfied. "Well done. Get us to the planet, helm." He looked back to V'Sar. "Hail the _Tecumseh_."

V'Sar nodded. "Hailing frequencies open."

A moment later, Captain Dorian Collins appeared on the viewer, Commander Edgar Torgrove at her side. "Hello again," Collins began.

"Good to see you, Dorian," Captain Corlett replied.

"And you as well. Imagine our surprise to find you out here."

"We were assigned to patrol duty in these sectors about a month ago. How about you?"

Collins pointed away from the screen. "Chasing this."

Corlett shook his head. "I don't follow."

"We've had three Borg research teams onboard for - well, I suppose since not long after we last saw each other. Starfleet's assigned us to help the Research Council put them on the ground on planets with active assimilation in progress, in the hopes of putting together a counter-agent. That's probably what's saving them right now, down there."

"But I'm confused. What's the value of this planet, to the Borg?"

"No idea. But that's why we were out here. We were putting another team into place in the Vorn system when we received the distress signal here. Looks like we were just in time."

Corlett turned. "Tactical analysis?"

"The planet's been largely assimiliated by the Borg," Tw'eak said, "and they are using the planet as a hub for their ships in the area. No additional patrols on our sensors, but the Borg are present down there - in high concentrations."

"We're detecting an emergency signal from the surface," Torgrove replied. "That may mean the research team has not been assimiliated."

"Also picking up the energy signature of a large data node," Tw'eak added.

V'Sar raised an eyebrow. "Theorize that this would mean means the Borg have connected the entire planet to the Collective. Energy signature is consistent with a central plexus."

Collins nodded. "Our people figured the same thing. Obviously we need to operate on the assumption that the research team can be saved. The information they have may be what we need to formulate a treatment that can save multitudes from the Borg nanovirus."

In his captain's chair, Corlett gave Tw'eak a quick glance before addressing Collins. "I intend to lead this away team personally."

Both Tw'eak and Sagittori were alarmed at this admission. "Sir," Tw'eak protested.

Corlett raised a hand. "I'd like to ask your commander to accompany us, along with a few of your best people. I'll bring three of my best along as well."

Torgrove nodded. "My people are already standing by."

"Alright." Corlett stood up. "We'll transfer co-ordinates - meet us on the planet once you're in range."

"We'll be beaming down in about ten minutes."

Tw'eak continued shaking her head. "Sir, with all due respect-"

"_Repulse_ out." Corlett turned to Tw'eak as the viewscreen de-activated. Tw'eak caught a brief glimpse of Captain Collins' perplexed facial expression. "What is it?"

"I object to the idea of you leading this away team."

"Me too," Sagittori added. "No way you should be beaming down to... to that."

"This is a hostile situation," Tw'eak continued, "and we can't afford to take unnecessary risks."

Corlett shook his head, adamant. "I've made up my mind. I need to go down there, to see what this nanovirus is all about. If they have a counter-agent that could be used to halt the Borg assimilation process... well. That's something we can't afford to lose. And it's something I want to see for myself."

"But sir, with all due respect-"

"You're going to tell me how important I am and how I need to stay safe and sound up here. But we're not. Far from it. There will be other Borg patrols along, any time now. You know how to fight them. Besides which, I'll have the lieutenant watching over me."

"What?" It was Ensign Koepka's turn to protest.

"I - uh. Of course, sir." Sagittori stepped away from his console.

"Look," Corlett said, leaning in towards Tw'eak. "I think I've already explained why this matters to me. I need to see it done."

"I understand - believe me. But you can just as easily review the results of what we retrieve once we've returned from the planet's surface." Tw'eak was insistent. This was the wrong place and time for Corlett to suddenly start leading from in front. "A lot of things can go wrong down there."

"As they can up here," Corlett responded. "But this sort of thing is your specialty - the research, down there, is mine."

Tw'eak hesitated - he made a good point. Yet it went against her every instinct, her heart aching with a premonition of something ill to come of all this. Her command training and her own experience told her that this was a situation where her captain's life was not to be risked - the Borg claiming an assimilated Starfleet captain as part of their collective constituted an unacceptable risk. Still, Tw'eak's mind was made up - better she remain aboard and in command while he went to the planet, than she be stranded on the planet and he in orbit, under the strain of combat. If the _Repulse_ was forced to withdraw, there wouldn't be a shuttle ride home for anyone stranded as a result - and Tw'eak had zero intention of accepting withdrawal as an option.

"Okay," Tw'eak said, relenting.

"What?" Koepka was now incensed.

"I must also register my surprise," V'Sar added.

Sagittori snickered. "That's an understatement."

Tw'eak pointed Sagittori right in the chest. "I'm holding you personally responsible for his safety down there. I want open communications the whole time you're down there. Phaser rifles for everyone, and make sure you have immunosupport hyposprays for everyone."

Corlett tapped his commbadge. "Corlett to Engineering."

"Engineering, Benso. What's going on?"

"I need a combat engineer for away team duty."

"That's Lieutenant Rau, Captain. I'll have her meet you in the transporter room."

"Thank you." Corlett deactivated his commbadge. "I'll also need Lieutenant Raxx along with me."

Tw'eak narrowed her eyes. "Not a combat medic, sir? Ensign Th'zarik is very competent."

Corlett considered it, then shook his head. "No, Raxx can handle it. Can you arrange for him to have some of those hyposprays available, as you mentioned?"

"Those are really best administered by someone who has training in their use, sir."

Sagittori looked at Tw'eak. "I can take them."

"You're not a combat medic, Lieutenant."

"No, but... I know how they work." Sagittori looked Tw'eak in the eye. "Besides, I'd rather I take them than - sir."

Tw'eak nodded. Better him than Raxx - he didn't have to say as much, and the risk of being less than complimentary about a fellow crew member, let alone one the captain held in such high esteem, right in front of Corlett was not worth the trouble. "Alright."

Now Koepka was standing, at the helm. "Wait, this is crazy," she pleaded.

"Brie," Sagittori replied. "I got this."

Koepka's face drew up into a rictus of grief and anxiety. The two communicated with each other exclusively by facial expression for a moment before Koepka closed her eyes. "Yes, sir," she said, her head shaking in a 'no' motion involuntarily. She slumped back down at the helm position like she'd been hit by a phaser set to kill.

"That's settled, then." Corlett stepped towards the turbolift, Sagittori following reluctantly. "Have Ensign - what did you say his name was?"

"Ensign Th'zarik," Tw'eak repeated, consciously placing a soft Andorian-accented pronunciation into the medic's name.

"Have him meet us in Transporter Room Two." He turned to V'Sar. "I want the warp drive back online before we return."

V'Sar nodded. "I am in communication with the engine room. They are proceeding with repairs."

"Good. Let's get on with it." The doors opened, and Corlett stepped in, Sagittori close behind. "Transporter Room Two," he instructed, and the lift departed. A brief moment passed before Tw'eak heard a soft noise from forward, and realized that Koepka was sobbing her heart out, unwilling to look back as the doors closed.


	24. Chapter 24

The bridge of the starship _Repulse_ was tense with anticipation - of what, though, remained uncertain. The facts at hand were pretty straightforward. _Repulse_, along with the starship _Tecumseh_, were in geosynchronous orbit over Omicron Kappa II, where a joint away team led by Captain Corlett of the _Repulse_ would support a rescue and retrieval operation. A research team from the Federation Science Council had been placed in the path of planetary assimilation with a mandate to find a way to stop the process. Whether they had succeeded or not was secondary to the recovery of any unassimilated personnel still on the ground. But their research data could provide salvation for untold numbers from the Borg nanovirus that threatened to assimilate entire worlds without mercy.

Tw'eak stood beside the operations console, monitoring as the eight bio-sign readings - four from the _Repulse_, and four, led by Commander Torgrove of the _Tecumseh_ \- flashed dark, then back to light again, as they materialized planetside. "The bio-sensors are working," she noted. She worked with the settings until she could see an overhead view, on the adjacent tactical console, showing an approximation of their location on the planet below, based on what the ship's sensors could see.

"Confirmed," Lieutenant Commander V'Sar replied. She, too, was monitoring the scene on the planet below.

The overhead speakers came to life with the voice of Lieutenant Dyralxia Rau, who was part of the away team. "Captain? Sensors are detecting numerous Borg lifesigns... and a few non-Borg lifesigns ahead."

"Recommend we proceed with caution," the voice of Lieutenant Jon Sagittori added.

"Please." From the conn came a tiny voice, despondent. "Be careful." Ensign Brienne Koepka was a mess, knowing Sagittori was on the ground.

"Commander," Captain Corlett's voice said, "are your people ready?"

"We are. Sonvak, you co-ordinate with Lieutenant, uh..."

"Sagittori, sir."

"The two of you will maintain a perimeter, keep the specialists safe. I'll take point. Let's go."

Tw'eak felt a pang of selfish guilt. It should've been her on point. She wondered who else Torgrove had brought with them, their weapons disposition and types, their overall tactical situation. She saw, on the tactical viewer, that the away team was approaching a rather significant chasm on the planet's surface, walking along a safe area just above it. Down below, Borg activity churned about as they advanced. Tw'eak could also see a glowing dot representing a lifeform ahead - Vulcan, female, by the looks of it.

"Captain!" she heard Torgrove call out. There were noises of footsteps.

"Thank you, Commander." The tone of voice was too calm to be anything but Vulcan, the voice unfamiliar. "Your arrival could not have been more timely."

"Are you injured?" Corlett asked.

"I am unharmed. My fellow researchers are still at our camp, and require your assistance. There are Borg in the area."

"So we've heard," Torgrove said - joked? It was hard to tell. An odd choice, Tw'eak thought, to joke with a Vulcan. Probably just his nerves getting to him. "Lead the way."

A loud mechanical noise disrupted communications for a moment. "Whoa," Rau's voice remarked. "Did you see that?"

"Remarkable," Corlett's voice added. "Where did that come from?"

"Most likely source is a Borg central plexus," the researcher replied. "It appears to be using such tendrils to command increasing control of the planetary ecosystem, deriving resources for use in constructing Borg structures within the planetary core."

"Remarkable," Corlett repeated.

"Commander," V'Sar observed, "sensors are detecting numerous Borg lifesigns headed towards the away team."

"Sh'abbas to Torgrove."

"Torgrove. Go ahead."

"We're reading an incoming group of-"

"Yes, I know. Borg." There was a pause, and Tw'eak was about to continue speaking, when Torgrove interrupted. "Sonvak, Sagittori, Floyd - on me. Prepare to defend the area." Another pause before the sound of phaser fire erupted, a chaotic series of blasts and then a sound - of heavy breathing, or running, Tw'eak couldn't tell, the state of not-knowing becoming unbearable. The sound ceased, then a few more bursts of phaser fire. Nothing she heard sounded like a pulsewave assault weapon, to her chagrin. Her preferred weapon for away missions didn't seem to have been carried along by anyone.

"Over here," the researcher said, and then Tw'eak heard a sound of movement, flapping uniform fabric and boots in motion.

"Thanks for the rescue," came a voice. Tw'eak recognized it - male, a bit high-pitched. It was a voice she had heard before. "My name is Doctor Eric Cooper."

"Avery Corlett," Tw'eak heard the captain say. "We're from _Repulse_. This is Commander Torgrove of the starship _Tecumseh_."

"Yes, I remember. You came for us, then."

"What happened here?"

"My team and I were researching the Borg nanovirus ... it's fascinating! The Borg have been using it to assimilate entire planets! The land, the buildings, the ... people."

"Yes," Corlett's voice replied, "we've been observing their handiwork. They're clearly not fooling around."

"Anyway, during the course of our research, the nanovirus containment failed. The nanovirus activated and assimilated enough equipment to signal the Collective."

"Are you serious?" Tw'eak heard Sagittori say - on her behalf. This was a shocking admission - how could the containment have failed? A moment later, Sagittori added, "Sorry, sorry."

"We cannot allow the Borg to continue using this nanovirus. I think we have enough data to formulate a counteragent, but we'll need to recover it from the area that is already assmiliated."

"Which way is that?" Tw'eak heard Torgrove ask.

"Over there - it's why I stayed behind. I can get you inside the compound, but then it will be up to you to recover the data."

"You can count on our assistance," Corlett's voice replied to Dr. Cooper.

"Thank you. I'm in your debt ... as is the entire Alpha quadrant."

"Alright - what about you?"

"I should prefer to remain here," the female researcher replied, "in order to establish a data link with your starship."

Tw'eak nodded to V'Sar, who began opening a data link. "In progress."

"Very well. Lieutenant Raxx and I will remain with you. I'd like to review your data and, besides, it's probably best I avoid direct contact with the Borg."

Tw'eak breathed a sigh of relief. Having the captain stay out of the line of fire was the best she could hope for, short of beaming down herself to relieve him - and without a direct order, that wasn't going to happen.

"Can you show the lieutenant and I more details about this virus?" she heard Corlett say.

Moments later, Torgrove spoke up. "Floyd - you stay here and cover. Sonvak, Sagittori, and you - what's your name?"

"Rau. Lieutenant Rau."

"She's a combat engineer," Sagittori's voice added.

"Yes, I know. We'll need her to come with us, but first, can you establish a force field dome around this position? We'll need something more than just Floyd to keep them safe - no offense, of course, Floyd."

"None taken, sir," a voice Tw'eak presumed to be Floyd's replied.

"You got it," Rau replied. Moments later, a thrumming noise could be heard. "There. Should work."

"Appreciated, Lieutenant," Corlett's voice came in reply. "Good luck, Commander."

"We'll get the data and get back as quick as we can. Let's move out," Torgrove could be heard to say. The noises of movement returned.

"C'mon, Jonny," Tw'eak heard Rau say. "It's just a huge Borg tentacle, nothing to worry about."

Tw'eak returned to tactical and saw the away team approaching a shielded perimeter. She couldn't tell which ones were Rau and Sagittori, but her eyes rose and saw the huddled shape of her helm officer. Tw'eak took a moment to step forwards, patting Koepka on the shoulder. "Hey."

"Oh - Commander." Koepka sat up straight. "Holding orbit."

"Listen, I wanted to say, I'm sorry. I know what you asked of me, but it wasn't my away team."

"I don't blame you - or Jon, really. Not like he can refuse an order. Besides, I've seen the captain on away missions. He's not really much good on the ground. I was surprised he wanted to go, actually - he knows how easily he gets lost down there."

"Does he really?"

"Oh, yeah. It makes Jon so mad. Commander Freitag was worse, actually. That guy had no sense of direction - like, at all. Not in space, not on the ground..."

"It's not for everyone," Tw'eak offered charitably.

The noises of an away team in motion audibly lessened. Tw'eak returned to tactical, and saw the Starfleet chevrons which represented each of them were holding still. "I'll have this force field down in no time," Dr. Cooper could be heard to say. Moments later, he added, "I've overridden the force fields, but the Borg detected the intrusion into their systems. They'll know you're coming."

"Let's move," Torgrove said, and the sound of movement returned. "We need to get to the central data node. Rau, that's where you come in."

"You got it," the lieutenant replied.

"We don't have time to search for the right files," Cooper added, "so simply transfer all the information to your ship's computer and hold off the Borg until the transfer is complete. I'll stay here. I'd probably just get in your way."

"Might be best for you to head back up where the captain is, Doctor," Torgrove said. "Everyone else - on me."

Tw'eak looked up from her console, towards V'Sar. "How's the warp drive coming along?"

"Repair teams are actively re-routing power. However, the damage to the starboard warp coil will take time to fully correct."

"How much time?"

"Uncertain. A more permanent fix will take time, but emergency repairs can make warp speed available in several minutes' time. I would not expect it will take very long."

Tw'eak nodded. There was a noise of tricorder activity on the audio feed. "This is it," Tw'eak heard Rau say. "Here. Receiving data now."

"The Borg have put up a forcefield around the area," Torgrove noted.

"It's okay, Commander. My tricorder data link isn't affected."

"Oh, shit," Tw'eak heard Sagittori say. "Commander!"

"I see them," Torgrove's voice replied. "Cover the lieutenant. Here they come!"

Phaser fire went off, then weapons fire Tw'eak recognized as the sound of Borg plasma beams. She looked at the screen, and saw a rough perimeter of Starfleet symbols nearly encircled with a compacting series of green dots - drones, of all types, converging on the away team.

"Stay in the perimeter!" she heard Rau say.

Tw'eak stared intently at the five-pointed star formed by the away team, six dots in a tight circle, surrounded by a series of green dots that represented Borg units. "Focus out the big one!" she heard Torgrove say. From her vantage point, in orbit, nothing was happening - as the screen only showed slight fluctuations in shield strength, it was impossible to tell what was going on with any detail. But on the right of the console, the tactical sensors around the ship made a noise - then another - then three more - and began beeping almost continuously.

"Commander," V'Sar said with concern.

"I see it." Undine vessels - far too many to engage. They had to clear the system, and fast. But there was no way Tw'eak would consent to that unless they had everyone with them. She tapped her commbadge. "Sh'abbas to Torgrove."

"Torgrove." There was an understandable urgency in his voice. "What is it?"

"Undine ships have entered orbit."

Tw'eak heard Torgrove sigh. "Oh, you're kidding me."

"I wish I were - get to cover." Tw'eak looked at her tactical display. "They're armed for orbital bombardment."

"Rau!" Torgrove said sharply.

Rau's tone implied concentration. "Almost got it."

"We're out of time!"

"I can see that, y'know!" Rau shot back. "I need a few more seconds."

"We don't have a few seconds!"

"Incoming!" Tw'eak heard Sagittori call out.

"Cover!" Torgrove cried.

Tw'eak looked to V'Sar. "Can we get a transporter lock?"

V'Sar shook her head. "Yes, but... Borg forcefields protecting the assimilated area from orbital bombardment are blocking the confinement beam. It will be impossible to complete transport until they have moved clear of the forcefield."

"What?!" Koepka cried from the helm.

Tw'eak hit her commbadge again. "Torgrove - you've got to get back to the main camp. There are pattern enhancers - we can't beam you out where you are."

"Working on it," Torgrove's voice came in reply. "Rau. We've got to go."

"I got it!" Rau replied, ecstatic. "Data's packed and transmitting."

Tw'eak looked to V'Sar. "The Borg have blocked the transmission," the Vulcan reported.

"Rau - did you hear that?" Tw'eak felt herself growing desperate. "You've got to carry the data out - the link isn't working."

"Yeah, heard that," Rau muttered.

"Come on," Torgrove's voice said. "We've got to fall back. Just... you just go. Break for it. Sagittori - I want you right next to her, don't leave her side."

"But sir-"

"Do it. Get moving. Fast as you can - weapons behind you. Hustle!" There was a sound of brisk movement. Tw'eak watched as two of the Starfleet personnel separated from the group, leaving the other four behind. These were Torgrove's people from the Tecumseh. "Sonvak. We need to buy the _Repulse_ people some time."

"I understand," the Tecumseh's Vulcan tactical lieutenant replied.

There was a further succession of rapid bursts of phaser beams and plasma bolts being traded back and forth. "Floyd!" Tw'eak heard Torgrove call out.

"Just go!" a small voice, presumably Floyd's, called out.

"Remodulating!" Sonvak observed.

"Cover Sonvak - keep moving." Torgrove was sounding more frantic now. "No - don't let them touch you! Get DOWN!" An explosion resonated - this one was close - on the audio. "Floyd!" A moment passed, more weapons fire being exchanged. "Damn it - I'm remodulating."

"Commander," Sonvak's voice said. "The Undine-"

Tw'eak looked at the screen, and a series of darker dots, a pinkish-purple colour, had come over the ridge and were approaching Rau and Sagittori. "They're past the perimeter," Tw'eak noted. "Can we get them?"

"I will require them to reach the pattern enhancers in the main camp."

"They're going to have to go through the Undine to get there."

V'Sar merely nodded. The odds of their success in doing so was too low to be worth mention. "The warp drive is online," she offered instead. "We can depart as soon as... on your order."

Tw'eak had been around Vulcans a long time. V'Sar's voice betrayed her logical self - this wounded her, deeply, to have to leave people behind. Another detonation over the audio - another orbital strike blasted the planet. "Aah," Rau's voice cried. "They're - they're in my mind!"

"Come on, Rau," Sagittori could be heard to say. "They're moving past us - Sagittori to _Repulse_!"

"_Repulse_," Tw'eak replied.

"Requesting emergency beam-out!"

"There are pattern enhancers in the camp," Tw'eak replied. "Set them up once you get there. It's the only way out."

Sagittori's breathing was laboured for a moment. Tw'eak saw that he and Rau were moving uphill. "Acknowledged."

"I can't keep them out, Jonny," Rau replied. "Oh, I can't go on." There was a noise of fumbling. "Take it. Leave me here."

"Not a damn chance. Come on - just come on!"

"Is anyone still alive out there?" It was the voice of Dr. Cooper. "Undine troops are beaming down."

"Yes, I know," Sagittori replied, his tone clipped. "We're heading back for you."

"It's just your captain and I left now. The Undine are now focusing on the Borg, but they'll find us soon."

"I'll be there in a minute." Sagittori was breathing heavily, and Koepka wrung her hands together in front of her face. "I need you to set up the pattern enhancers so we can get out of here."

"Right," Dr. Cooper replied.

"Just you and me left now, Sonvak," Tw'eak heard Torgrove say. "Save yourself - get back to the camp."

"I will not leave you behind, Commander."

"Then we go together. Move!"

"Commander," Sonvak said, with a voice that sounded tranquil. "The Borg have assimilated that Undine."

"But that's pointless," Dr. Cooper's voice replied. "Undine can't be assimilated. Unless..."

"Sagittori to Torgrove!"

"Yeah."

Sagittori's voice resonated with relief. "We're at the camp. Everything's on fire, and - Captain! Are you alright?"

"Yes," came Corlett's reply. "But Lieutenant Raxx is dead."

"Get the pattern enhancers in place," Torgrove ordered, "and - ahh... no."

"Commander!" Sonvak called out.

Tw'eak's screen began to blink. She looked down. To her alarm, the Borg had surrounded Torgrove and Sonvak - and now, it seemed, both were being assimilated. "Sh'abbas to Sagittori."

"Yeah, Commander?"

"Where are those immunosupport hyposprays?"

"They're - I still have them here."

"_Tecumseh_'s people have been overrun," Tw'eak said gravely.

Sagittori's voice was indignant. "You want me to go back down there?"

Tw'eak caught sight of Koepka's face, horrified. "No. Not if the risk is too great."

"You better believe it! Standing by for transport."

Tw'eak tapped her commbadge. "Tw'eak to transporter room."

"Transporter - Faso here."

"Chief, lock onto the survivors and beam them aboard."

"With pleasure, Commander."

"The _Tecumseh_ is hailing us," V'Sar noted impassively.

"On screen."

Captain Collins was seated in her command chair, her face distressed. "Commander."

"May I convey my regrets at the loss of your people, Captain."

Collins nodded. "Appreciated. Has Captain Corlett returned to your ship safely?"

"He has - as have our people, with the data."

A grimace, then another nod from Collins. "It better be worth it. Torgrove... and Sonvak, Floyd and Merriweather... they were good people."

The turbolift door opened, and both Sagittori and Captain Corlett stepped onto the bridge. Both stank of fumes from a plasma fire, and Tw'eak found the unexpected odor caused her to cough slightly. "You're back."

"Indeed, we are," Corlett said, stepping past Tw'eak towards the command chair. "Ensign, lay in a pursuit course, heading... two three six mark zero one five."

"Sir?" Koepka expressed surprise.

"There is a Borg ship with an assimilated Undine onboard. We have to stop them."

"We should get out of here anyway," Tw'eak observed as she let Sagittori resume his usual post. "Look."

On the screen, the swarming Undine ships began to take a formation which she recognized as being a prelude to planetary bombardment.

"Just like at Vega IX," Tw'eak said to Corlett, quietly. Corlett merely turned his head to look at her. His eyes seemed vacant - the thought occurred to Tw'eak that he might be in shock. But he sat in his command chair and leaned forward, watching the viewscreen intently.

"Sonvak to _Tecumseh_." There was a moment of silence. "Sonvak to _Repulse_? I have reached the beam-out co-ordinates."

Tw'eak's antennae flared outwards in surprise. She slapped at her commbadge. "Chief - can you get him?"

"I'll try," came the reply from the transporter room.

"Belay that," Corlett replied. "There's no time. Take us out, Ensign."

Tw'eak's flaring antennae now practically curled over backwards in surprise. This was unexpectedly decisive for Captain Corlett. But Koepka complied and, within moments, both _Repulse_ and _Tecumseh_ were moving away from the planet at full impulse, ready to jump into warp speed as soon as it was safe. Whether Lieutenant Sonvak remained behind was uncertain.

As they turned and began to separate, _Repulse_ pursuing the Borg, _Tecumseh_ following _Repulse_, each moving off at warp speed, a jagged beam of energy connected each of the Undine bioships in their formation, a dazzling light emanated, and the planet Omicron Kappa II died as the antiproton surge penetrated deep into its surface, annihilating it to the core. Pieces of partially assimilated rock and dirt flew outwards along the line of the impact, and a molten fireball of the remains of the planet shuddered with the force that rained down upon it.

Tw'eak closed her eyes for a moment, to keep herself from screaming. It had all gone totally wrong.


	25. Chapter 25

It took some time for Tw'eak to calm down enough to react to anything but the most basic of trained responses. It felt like days, but her ability to perceive the passage of time - it had only been twenty minutes - was thrown off by her emotional state. She felt numb, unable to rationally process what had just happened. Partly, this was because she herself hadn't been there - though if she was honest, she doubted her actions would've differed from those taken by Commander Torgrove, late of the starship Tecumseh. Partly, she was still trying to find the words to explain what had happened on Omicron Kappa II, which had since been destroyed.

A Borg nanovirus had, as with the Vega colony, begun assimilating the entire planet. In the process, the Undine had arrived, destroying the planet - precisely as they had done to Vega IX. But this time had been different in one critical regard. Some of the Undine had been assimilated, an event which had believed to be impossible. Now, the starship _Repulse_ had engaged an immediate pursuit at her captain's command, something which Tw'eak had also believed to be impossible. Their objective, which remained unclear in her mind, seemed to be preventing the Borg from being able to exploit the assimilation of Undine into the collective. How this had all transpired, however, left her scrambling to fully comprehend.

Tw'eak found that there were simply too many unanswered questions for her to focus on any single one. Why had the captain ordered an immediate pursuit? Had he known the Undine were about to annihilate the planet? If so, how? Maybe that was why he had ordered such a swift withdrawal, despite its unpleasant consequences for Lieutenant Sonvak, who had been left behind. But why leave Sonvak behind? Why the uncharacteristic rush to pursuit by Captain Corlett? And what did he intend for them to do once they caught up with the Borg? Would it matter by then what happened, or would the Borg collective know how to carry out a full-scale assimilation of the warriors from fluidic space based on what they had already learned?

A deep breath, followed by a re-opening of her eyes, helped to put those matters out of Tw'eak's mind. There were other concerns closer at hand. She tapped Lieutenant Jon Sagittori on the arm. "How are you doing?" she asked, smiling.

"It... I don't know what to say."

"It wasn't your fault. You did well - brought home everyone you could."

"Yeah, but... Torgrove, Raxx... those other guys, I didn't even know their names. Damn it, we shouldn't have-" Sagittori lowered his voice. "I'm sorry."

"We had no choice, but we'll have time to mourn once this is over. Just focus on the ones we saved, for now. You saved the captain. And Rau - is she alright?"

Sagittori nodded. "She went to sickbay. I think they hit her mind harder than anything."

"I can't imagine what that must be like. I've... never faced the Undine before. Never been in the same room as one, even."

Captain Corlett looked back at Tw'eak, clearly miffed at her for distracting Sagittori. "What's our status, Lieutenant?"

"We're keeping pace. Not yet in weapons range, though."

"Target appears to be heading for the NGC-4447 formation," Ensign Koepka noted at the helm.

Corlett moved to the science station. "Computer," he ordered. "Activate science station and provide me with all data available on the NGC-4447 system."

Tw'eak watched as Corlett settled in to what had been Lieutenant Raxx's duty station. She heard Sagittori snicker. "Just like that, huh," he muttered. "Replaced."

Tw'eak gave Sagittori a look of concern. "Why don't you let me handle tactical?"

"Now? Here?" Sagittori looked offended. "Are you kidding me?"

"Not at all. Take a few. Go walk around a lower deck or something. Clear your mind. I can look after things here."

Sagittori harrumphed. "Can't I just go pace around the conference room or something?"

"That works." Tw'eak placed a hand on his shoulder. "When we have time, I'd like to debrief with you."

Sagittori's shoulder stiffened under Tw'eak's hand. "I'm fine. Really."

She glanced towards the conference room door. "Go on. Take a time-out."

Sagittori stepped away, and Tw'eak took up his post at tactical. She looked over at V'Sar. "Any sign of where _Tecumseh_ is?"

"They are currently at bearing one-eight-zero mark one-nine, maintaining course and speed with us."

Tw'eak wished she could hail the _Tecumseh_ to see if they'd been able to retrieve Lieutenant Sonvak, but there was no way to do so without Captain Corlett taking over the conversation. Something had galvanized the captain - perhaps it was facing off against the Borg, whom she knew he hated, which had given him such resolve. She glanced to V'Sar, then to her console, asking silently for the Vulcan to cover for her while she moved to consult with her captain at the tactical station.

"It's pretty," she said, gesturing to the science viewer, showing a still image of NGC-4447 as she approached.

"Delta radiation," Corlett noted, pointing to the readout. "We'll need to modify our sensors if we follow them in."

"Assimilated Undine would be quite an escalation," Tw'eak said. "If the Borg have finally adapted to their physiology... they'd be unstoppable."

"Indeed," Corlett replied. "For members of the Undine to become part of the Collective... I saw it myself. It can't be allowed to happen again."

"No one should suffer that fate, being assimilated." Tw'eak noted, receiving an appreciative nod from Corlett for noting it. "Even the Undine. We just... figured they were assimilation-proof. That's certainly been the case since our first contact with them, back when we were still calling them Species 8472."

Corlett clenched his jaw. "The Borg designation for them."

"The Collective is enough of a threat on their own. Having this kind of drone - or worse, if the Borg augmented their psionic abilities to become-"

"Yes, I know," Corlett barked. "It's why that ship needs to be stopped, before they can be allowed to take this any farther." He stood up suddenly. "Overtake, Ensign. Maximum warp."

Koepka looked back, confused. "I - um, we're only rated for Warp 9.6 maximum, and we're at 9.5 right now-"

"Increase warp power," Corlett demanded. He looked to V'Sar. "All power to the engines. We'll engage them with torpedoes once we're in range."

"Illogical," V'Sar observed. "Our best course of action would be-"

"To follow orders," Corlett said, finishing her sentence. This caught V'Sar by surprise, and the Vulcan raised an eyebrow as her mouth closed.

Tw'eak waited a moment, until Corlett slunk back into his command chair, then stepped to his side. "Captain, I can understand that you're taking this pretty hard."

"Can you?" Corlett snarled.

"It's been that kind of day, for all of us. And we lost one of our own. I know you and Lieutenant Raxx worked well together. I don't know on what, exactly, but I imagine you had some kind of-"

"That has nothing to do with this. They have to be stopped." Corlett tossed a hand in the direction of the viewscreen. "As you said to the lieutenant, we'll have time for everything else. But stopping them has to be our priority - at any cost. I want you to prepare a team to beam over there, as soon as we're in range and have matched warp velocities for transport."

Tw'eak was puzzled. "May I ask the captain what my team will be expected to achieve?"

"There's only one way to keep them from spreading what they've learned to do across the whole Collective - we've got to destroy the vinculum."

"The vinculum," Tw'eak repeated.

"We must stop the sphere before it can return to the Collective fleet," Corlett continued. "Anything the Borg could learn from the prisoner could be catastrophic."

Tw'eak paused for a moment, the words 'the prisoner' becoming a focal point in her thoughts. If the Undine had been assimilated... would that make it a prisoner, or a drone? She kept herself from posing the question aloud, returning to the tactical station. "Borg ship has dropped out of warp," Ensign Koepka noted. "Pursuing."

On screen, the NGC-4447 formation, a bright green mass of radioactive plasma interwoven with pockets of dust, dazzled in the distance, while a Borg sphere turned on its central axis and moved towards-

"Undine vessel closing with the sphere," Tw'eak called out.

"Speculate the Undine vessel was present in-system prior to our arrival," V'Sar conjectured. "Therefore, fluidic rifts may also be present here."

"Sure looks that way," Tw'eak noted, casting the ship's sensors wider. "I'm reading - at least eight other Borg vessels, six Undine, all tearing at each other."

"Whose side do we defend?" Koepka asked from the helm.

"This region is ours to protect," Corlett said solemnly, "and our orders are to eliminate the Borg threat."

"I recommend that we engage the Borg and the Undine," Tw'eak suggested, "and secure the area."

Corlett gave a nod. "I had hoped you would."

There was no shortage of targets, however - this would normally have not presented a problem in and of itself, but Tw'eak was aware that, either collectively or telepathically, both these enemies could co-ordinate their efforts within a second to strike in unison from multiple ships. This, then, would have to be her advantage - poaching targets from the edge, working her way in.

She looked up at Koepka. "Helm, be prepared to disengage and re-engage quickly - there's only one of us and lots of them. We'll need to stay mobile and avoid becoming their focus."

"Right. How do you want me to manage those engagements, then?"

It was a good question. Tw'eak considered it a moment. "Take... no, let's do this - each time I change targets, drive at them, then past them, then do the same. I'll try to work around at sixty-degree angles where I can - if we can keep them isolated around... that fluidic rift there. That should do it."

"Don't lose sight of that sphere," Corlett added.

"I shall attempt to do so," V'Sar replied.

"Be ready for tractor beams," Tw'eak continued. "Polarize the hull, the moment you notice they're locked on. And be prepared for plasma fires on the hull."

V'Sar nodded. "I will reinforce structural integrity with auxiliary power and trigger hazard emitters as necessary."

"Perfect. Alright, here we go."

Tw'eak selected first a Borg probe whose starboard shields were failing. Koepka piloted _Repulse_ towards the target, and Tw'eak waited until the weak facing was fully in view. The range closed, and no shots came in _Repulse_'s direction - another few blasts from a smaller Undine ship rocked the drone, but nothing like what Tw'eak had ready. She loosed a photon torpedo as the Borg drone began to come around, then opened fire with the forward phasers. This obliterated the probe, and she selected a new target - an Undine ship to starboard, at two o'clock - before it was fully destroyed. Koepka modified heading, Tw'eak opened fire, and the Undine ship had time enough to take one shot in _Repulse_'s direction before it imploded.

Tw'eak chose another Undine target just beyond it, and as _Repulse_'s forward firing arc came to contain it, she held fire for just long enough to make Koepka shoot her a concerned glance. Holding off on firing in order to minimize her torpedo's travel time, she blasted the Undine vessel with full forward phasers before finishing it off with the torpedo. This brought her to her next target, a Borg sphere which nailed _Repulse_ with a tachyon beam. Tw'eak shot V'Sar a look as the shields began to be drained, and V'Sar complied by reversing the shields' polarity, absorbing several shots from the enemy's plasma weapon but nearly depriving them of shield strength in the process. Tw'eak wasted no time opening fire with this target, blasting it with phasers at range and launching a quantum torpedo spread towards the sphere. Koepka managed to make the most of this torpedo spread - not needing to hold steady and provide Tw'eak with a clear line to target, she was able to evade some of the Borg ship's beams, along with that of another adversary - an Undine bioship that had come to see them as the most present threat.

As the sphere absorbed the explosion of the quantums, Tw'eak targeted the bioship which had fired on them, just as Koepka began to slip away from the new target. As she fought to correct course, Tw'eak let loose with the aft torpedoes and phasers, blasting the bioship's forward arc. The bioship narrowly missed with a fluidic antiproton beam of its own, and _Repulse_ clawed its way around, Koepka straining the thrusters to tighten her turn radius to the minimum. Before long, the forward phasers - the quantum torpedoes were still reloading - locked onto the bioship and tore into its hull with devastating effect. After a moment, another Borg probe was down, the last of the adversaries in the area.

"Board is clear," Tw'eak declared, exchanging celebratory glances with Koepka.

"Was the sphere destroyed?" Corlett demanded.

"No, it's... bearing zero-three-nine mark zero-four-seven. Looks like it's regenerating."

As Tw'eak continued speaking, a Borg cube arrived from warp just beyond the sphere. "I am reading transporter activity," V'Sar stated. "Fluctuations in the sphere, as well."

Indeed, true to the Vulcan's word, the sphere detonated, self-destructing.

Sagittori had just returned from a few laps around the conference room, in time to see the sphere explode. "What happened?"

"It appears that they have relocated the vinculum onto the cube," V'Sar observed. "Attempting to - confirmed."

"Get us to that cube," Corlett demanded.

Tw'eak locked onto the Borg cube. "Ensign - get me in range."

Koepka punched up full impulse. "On it!"

Another quantum torpedo spread lay ready in _Repulse_'s forward torpedo tubes. As if bracing itself up towards its onrushing foe, the Borg cube maneuvered forward, its navigational shields sweeping aside the debris of the sphere as it did. A tractor beam came forth from one of its vertices, but V'Sar was ready for it, and it had no effect. The cube's cutting beams and plasma weapons opened fire - this was where Koepka came in, dodging a number of blasts, while Tw'eak used a forward phaser to detonate a slow-moving high-yield plasma torpedo almost before it left the cube's launcher. Now she locked her targeting system onto the cube's tractor beam emitter, and fired a torpedo spread. A few further blasts from the phasers, and the cube's defensive weapons were silent.

"All stop," Corlett ordered.

"All stop?" Koepka repeated in surprise. "Aye."

"Scan them."

"The Borg vessel has sustained heavy damage," V'Sar observed. "It is regenerating."

"I didn't think we'd hit them that hard," Tw'eak replied.

"We did not. Sensors read fluidic signatures on the Borg ship's outer hull, along with point-of-impact emissions consistent with antiproton damage."

"So they were in fluidic space before they met us here."

Corlett was out of his chair and pointing at Tw'eak before she noticed. "Get your team together and get over there. Take out that vinculum - and anything else you find."

"Look!" Koepka said, pointing to the screen.

Indeed, now as the Borg cube twisted, into view came an Undine vessel, trapped in a Borg tractor beam.

"Captain," V'Sar began, "if the Borg brought an Undine vessel to our dimension, they must have some purpose for it. They have clearly adapted to the point that they may be successfully assimilating the Undine's organic technology."

"We know they can assimilate the Undine themselves," Tw'eak added. "But Borg with Undine technology..." She heard her console beeping an alert. "Undine ships about to emerge from the singularity." She shook her head. "Or they tried to - where did they go?"

"Perhaps the cube's passage destabilized the singularity," V'Sar hypothesized. She looked down. "However, I am picking up Undine lifesigns on the Borg cube."

Corlett pointed to the turbolift. "Go, Commander."

Tw'eak stepped towards the turbolift, when Lieutenant Sagittori reached out to her. "Where are you going?" he asked.

Tw'eak threw a glance towards the screen. "Borg cube." Her eyes met Koepka's. "You've got tactical."

"No, I should come with you. It's too dangerous to just-"

"Someone's gotta stay ready at tactical, Lieutenant. That's you. And that's an order." She stepped into the turbolift, giving one last meaningful look to Sagittori. "Transporter Room Two." She tapped her commbadge as the turbolift got underway. "Sh'abbas to Rau - I need you for an away team."

"Already in the transporter room, boss. Baird and Th'zarik are here, too. Gear's ready."

"We'll need at least one more - find..." Tw'eak considered a moment. Who would she want with her in the face of certain death?

"We got Ensign Sanchez, too. Don't know if you know her."

Tw'eak thought for a moment. Sanchez... Rosalina Sanchez? She was one of a few crew members whom Tw'eak had joined _Repulse_ alongside. A recent Academy graduate, _Repulse_ was her first assignment. "I do, yeah. I want pulsewave weapons for at least two of us. Modify two of the phaser rifles to split-beam setting. We may need to hit multiple targets."

"You got it. Shev's got the immunosupport nanites, too - he's recommending we all take a dose before we even get over there."

Tw'eak nodded, and the turbolift door opened. "Not a bad idea. I'll be there in a minute. Sh'abbas out."

* * *

"Commander!"

Her thoughts entirely on the Borg, Tw'eak looked up to find Dr. Mina Ogilvie, the chief medical officer, approaching. "What's up, Doc?"

"That is-" Ogilvie looked disgusted. "I can't believe you just said that."

"I'm sorry?"

"Though I must commend you for your knowledge of arcane twentieth-century Earth cultural artifacts, I-"

"Look, I'm late for an away mission and we're at red alert. Make it quick."

"It's this duty roster - I've gone over it again, because I don't agree with-"

"The duty roster." Tw'eak stared at Ogilvie, thoroughly unimpressed.

"Yes. I don't agree with having Counselor Downie as part of-"

"Doctor." Tw'eak took a step towards Ogilvie, thwarting the doctor from doing the same, in that manner she found convincing. "Let me make this perfectly clear. There is a time for these discussions. This is not that time."

"But I rarely ever see you."

"I'm about to lead a landing party into hostile territory. I sincerely hope your sickbay is ready for casualties."

"Oh, Th'zarik looked like he had things well in hand, so I left him to it. That's part of the problem with this duty roster - it's my sickbay, but I feel so ...disconnected."

"Disconnected. You're the chief medical officer. Casualties take utmost priority - not who's on duty today. I suggest you put your focus where it needs to be."

"Oh, it is, I assure you. But nothing's happened yet." Ogilvie permitted herself a snicker. "We've been at red alert all day, with only minor casualties. It's why my mind came back to this in the first place."

Rather than risk further enraging herself by continuing this conversation, Tw'eak turned on her heel and walked away.

"Commander!" Ogilvie called. "What about the duty roster!? Commander!"

Tw'eak's antennae curled in upon themselves as she clenched her jaw in a desperate attempt to avoid telling Ogilvie where she could put her duty roster.


	26. Chapter 26

Tw'eak stepped into the transporter room and nodded to Chief Faso as she entered. The Saurian's large eyes shone back at her, then flickered over to the right. There stood her away team. Lieutenant Dyralxia Rau and Ensign Rosalia Sanchez both nervously checked over their equipment, while Lieutenant Darren Baird received a hypospray of immunosupport nanites from their combat medic, Ensign Shev Th'zarik. All of them turned and faced Tw'eak, getting to their feet as they did.

"We have an opportunity," Tw'eak said, trying to disguise her anxiety as well as she could. "There's a Borg cube out there. It's damaged, and will take some time before it's fully operational again. We can take advantage of that - we can beam aboard and stop the Borg from completing their assimiliation process with their Undine captives."

"How are we sure they didn't already complete that process?" Lieutenant Baird asked. "They are a collective hive-mind."

"We're betting they haven't - or, that there are other aspects of Undine technology that they may not yet fully have assimilated. Either way, it's up to us to try to interrupt that process."

"How's this going to work?"

"The cube is in a regenerative state. Based on our past encounters with the Borg, we know that they won't see us as a threat, until we threaten them. So we can get in and locate the Undine without needing to mount a sustained assault."

"They're gonna know what we're after," Rau countered. "We may end up in that 'sustained assault' no matter what we try."

Tw'eak nodded. "That is a possibility."

There was a pause in the room. Each stared off into their own thoughts. Then, Lieutenant Baird spoke up, his voice showing no signs of inspiration. "Let's just get it done."

Tw'eak held up a hand. "Before we go, I want you all to know that I'm giving you each the opportunity to back out. I don't care who you are, this is serious stuff we're going to go try and do. It may not end well - it's a huge risk, and death, or worse, could await us over there."

Ensign Th'zarik looked directly at Tw'eak. "I'm coming with you, Commander."

"You're certain."

"No, but... you are. And you'll need a medic." Th'zarik frowned. "I mean, you might."

"I know I'll probably need a medic," Rau added, "but I'm with you, boss."

"You're certain?"

"Yeah, hundred-percent." The Betazoid gave an impression of a smile, but it was brief, forced. She looked to Baird. "What about you, Darren?"

Lieutenant Baird merely nodded and turned away. This left Ensign Sanchez, who was practically shaking. She held up her phaser rifle and took a half-step forward. "I'm not going to let you down, Commander."

"I'm sure of it," Tw'eak replied. She reached out and squeezed Sanchez's shoulder. "Look, we have to do this. Plain and simple. The chief will keep a lock on us - isn't that right, Chief?"

"Definitely," Faso said with a broad smile. "Anything goes wrong and you people are outta there so fast..."

Tw'eak remembered something and stepped closer to Faso. "I wanted to ask you... what happened with Lieutenant Sonvak?"

"The Vulcan?" Tw'eak nodded, and Faso shook his head. "I didn't get him. Captain told me to belay - so I did. But I monitored another containment beam reaching out to the planet just before we broke off."

"From _Tecumseh_?" Tw'eak asked.

"That'd be my guess. We'd have to ask them, though. No point going back to see if he's still there." Faso shook his head again. "Damn shame. I had him, and then - off we went."

Tw'eak gave him a nod, strapped on her pulsewave, and holstered a sidearm hand phaser, just to be safe. She activated her personal shield, checked her pulsewave and her sidearm, and took a step onto the transporter pad. Her team followed shortly behind, each stepping into position. "Sh'abbas to the bridge."

"Bridge, Corlett."

"We're ready to beam over, Captain."

"Everything's ready - we'll only lower our shields for a moment, then you'll signal when you need retrieval."

Tw'eak gave a look to Chief Faso. "Understood. Sh'abbas out." She tapped her commbadge, eyes on Faso. "Anything goes wrong," she repeated.

"Outta there!" Faso pointed down at his console. "Commander V'Sar routed shield control down here - I have it all co-ordinated, one fluid motion. We'll get you back, promise."

Tw'eak nodded. "Alright. Let's do this."

Faso initiated the transport sequence, and as the interior of the transporter room began to dissolve, Tw'eak reviewed in her head all the steps - the starship _Kolibri_, the Tal Shiar, Omicron Kappa II, the Undine fluidic rift which a Borg cube had come through - which had led to this moment, and she felt a bit of a tremble in her bones. Any one of those actions should, by rights, have already killed her. She had been lucky so far. But she knew as well as anyone that luck runs out, and the interior of a regenerating Borg cube was as good - or bad? - a place as any for that to happen.

* * *

The away team materialized on a shattered bit of deck plating, and instinctively each of them moved forwards. Rau produced a tricorder from her combat gear. "Some kind of background frequency is interfering with my tricorder, boss."

Th'zarik pulled out his tricorder. "Same. But I believe there are Undine lifesigns somewhere on this level. If we get closer, we can cut through the interference."

The away team moved forwards, Baird on point, Tw'eak bringing up the rear. They passed through a sort of portal in the wall which served as a door, containing the interior of the cube beyond. Cascading from multiple disconnected points about the interior, electrical discharges and fluid leaks provided light and motion in numerous places, playing tricks on Tw'eak's tactical training. The real threats rested, dormant, just beyond.

Stepping through, Tw'eak could see a vast opening, Borg conduits stacked neatly in rows on multiple levels, up and down, thousands of drones visible. She shuddered. Was it possible that one of these drones had been the captain's first wife? How many of these drones had once been Federation citizens, left for dead, or beyond hope of rescue? How many more would it take?

The away walked through another archway, then a four-cornered chamber roughly the size of a large gymnasium opened before them. In the centre was an overarching structure within the chamber, coming down and stretching across its upper reaches. A further network of conduits and other Borg technology were present in the corners - and on every space available, alcoves containing drones of varying composition and size. "Hey, boss," Rau said quietly. "Think I can modify the tricorder and access these terminals."

"Won't that alert the Borg to our presence?" Baird asked.

"Probably, but how else are we going to get any answers - asking politely?"

Tw'eak looked to Th'zarik, who had holstered his tricorder in exchange for his phaser. "Anything more on those life signs?"

"Just the same indistinct reading," Th'zarik replied, his antennae sharp and alert. "I agree with the lieutenant - if she can use her tricorder to get more of an idea of where to go, that's better than anything I can do."

Tw'eak gave a sigh. So much for avoiding 'sustained assault'. "What about telepathically?" she asked Rau.

Rau nodded. "I'm not getting anything as intense as I did on the planet. If there's Undine here, they're pretty quiet."

"That would be consistent with Borg assimilation," Th'zarik noted. "It tends to suppress telepathy - or rather, the connection to the hive mind usually overwhelms any latent telepathy in the drones. It's actually kind of fascinating - you'd think assimilating Vulcans or Betazoids would be a priority for - oh." Th'zarik caught himself. "I mean, it's good news, they don't want you, clearly."

"Thanks, that means a lot, Shev." Rau deadpanned. She looked at Tw'eak. "We gonna kick this off now?"

Tw'eak gestured to Sanchez and Baird. "Fan out in a triangle - be ready, watch out for each other. Remodulate as you have to." She nudged Th'zarik towards Rau. "Stay in close - and low. We'll have to shoot past you, might as well be over your heads rather than around and through."

"Point taken," Rau acknowledged. "Okay. We set?"

Tw'eak tapped Th'zarik. "When any one of us has to remodulate, you gotta be ready to jump up and cover. We can't afford to be overwhelmed."

"Yeah, of course. What about casualties?"

"We'll see," Tw'eak replied. This was unlike anything she had attempted previously. Her best guess was that the eight to ten Borg directly in front of her would rise as one, and be taken down one at a time. Ideally, that'd be it until they accessed the next terminal. In the worst-case scenario, they faced an unending cascade of wave after wave of Borg drones, and they would have to withdraw. This was a major risk she was taking. She hoped it was worthwhile. "Go, Rau," she ordered.

Rau input her tricorder to commence extracting data. "Here goes," she said. After a moment, the tricorder came to life, humming away. Also coming alive were the Borg in the corner - all of them, just as Tw'eak had predicted. Baird took one out, as did Sanchez, before Tw'eak could move around into position. As two tactical drones approached, she knelt, aimed and fired the full arcwave, knocking them back into three other oncoming drones. From the pile of bodies came one of the drones, which was felled by a keen shot from Baird. A split-beam shot from Sanchez knocked out two more, while Tw'eak stepped forward to nail the last one with her pulsewave in two quick, short blasts.

"What do we have?" Tw'eak asked Rau.

"Just confirms that the Borg have Undine aboard and are trying to assimilate them."

"You said 'trying to'?" Baird noted.

"That's what it says, 'attempting to assimilate'."

Tw'eak smiled. "Then there's still time." She looked up at Rau. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, the data's incomplete. It's directing me to that terminal over there." Rau pointed to another corner of the room. "Since when do the Borg store their data in separate parts? I thought I'd get the whole Collective on my tricorder. This sucks."

"Let's move." They fell into the same pattern - Rau and Th'zarik kneeling in the centre, with Tw'eak behind them, Sanchez and Baird on either side. "Everyone remodulate now," she demanded, and the crew followed their orders, remodulating.

Rau did not. "Didn't get to take a shot yet, boss," she said to Tw'eak.

"Fine." Tw'eak kept her thoughts - that Rau would certainly have to take a shot, or several, before long - to herself. "Go."

Rau accessed her tricorder again, picking up more data. Right on cue, the Borg began their advance. A familiar pattern of advance, counter-attack, and disintegrating Borg drones on the ground followed moments thereafter. "Boss," Rau said once the firing had stopped. "The Borg have invaded fluidic space. It's for sure - says they've established a beachhead. No wonder the Undine are attacking in force."

"Looks like they've made progress," Baird added, "if they're actually trying to assimilate Undine rather than just obliterate them."

"That gave me some good strategic intel on the Borg, but it's missing - like, a whole bunch of what we need. That terminal over there."

The away team moved forwards, each remodulating as they went. "Ready?" Tw'eak asked Rau, who nodded. "Go."

This time, the Borg in both corners started coming on - Tw'eak made a quick count of at least thirty Borg drones closing on them. This was her worst fear for this mission, and it was coming to pass. Baird fired off his shots, but the Borg adapted more quickly than expected, leading him to drop back. As he did, Ensign Th'zarik came forwards, but so did the Borg. One of them reached for him, leading Tw'eak to fire her arcwave without taking time to aim, clearing three of them. "You alright?"

"Yeah, that was close," Th'zarik replied, firing on the downed Borg.

Tw'eak took a step back and remodulated as Baird stood up. "How you doing, Sanchez?"

"I'm - fine," the ensign replied between shots, sounding anything but fine.

"What'd we get this time, Rau?"

Rau held up her tricorder. "This data... I don't believe it."

Tw'eak smiled. "The unbelievable has been happening a lot today."

"It's how they're getting to fluidic space - using an artificial singularity as a portal. That singularity out there - it's generated by the Undine ship the cube has snared to it."

"That explains why those Undine ships couldn't approach to rescue it." Tw'eak looked around. "None of you were on the bridge for that, were you. Never mind."

"That's the last terminal, Commander," Baird said, indicating the data terminal. "I think that device over there controls the force field preventing us from leaving this room."

"Rau," Tw'eak said. "Establish a secure data link and get this back to _Repulse_."

"Kinda hard to do that and work the forcefield."

Tw'eak stepped over to the forcefield console. "I can work with this," she said, checking it over. She went about familiarizing herself before she made a sequential input, and de-activated the forcefield.

Baird poked the butt end of his phaser rifle through where the force field had been. "Looks like it worked."

But it was Th'zarik who wandered through the portal first, into a zig-zag corridor, eyes intent on his tricorder. "Definitely detecting Undine life signs ahead, Commander. But... something appears to be wrong with them. The patterns don't match the information we have available on their physiology."

"That might be the result of their assimilation," Rau noted. "Borg do terrible things to people."

An interruption. "Corlett to away team."

Tw'eak tapped her commbadge. "Go ahead, Captain."

"We're receiving a data transfer from the cube. That's your doing, I presume."

"I doubt the Borg would part with this information willingly, sir. Lieutenant Rau is transmitting some crucial intelligence into how the Borg are violating fluidic space - along with their intentions for the Undine."

"Yes, we're seeing it now - this is sincerely troubling. Have you encountered any Undine yet?"

"No, but Ensign Th'zarik has a tricorder reading on a few of them. We'll let you know. Please keep the transporters locked onto us, Sh'abbas out."

Baird waited a moment before he asked the question they were all trying not to ask. "Do we keep going, Commander?"

Tw'eak stepped up beside Th'zarik. The tricorder readings were visible, and unmistakable. "We could leave them to their fate," she said. "They are a threat to the Federation."

"I don't see how letting the Borg have their way with them helps," Th'zarik remarked.

"And it makes the Borg stronger if they succeed," Baird added. "A stronger threat."

Tw'eak looked at Rau. "Hey, I just work here," Rau said with a shrug, barely looking up from her tricorder.

"Indeed. I think all of us in this line of work - Starfleet, I mean - would rather be unemployed, if it meant we were left with none of this kind of work to do."

"Nah," Rau replied, "there's always someone out there. Today it's Borg and Undine, tomorrow it'll be Tal Shiar and Klingons, the day after that, who knows. Iconians and zombie unicorns or something. Always something."

Baird flashed a massive grin. "You said 'zombie unicorns'?"

"Okay, zombie Gorn, then."

Tw'eak bristled at the mention of zombie Gorn, having faced a few genetically-augmented Gorn in her time. "Then we're agreed. Let's go."

The away team resumed their previous formation, Baird on point, and went through the zig-zag, then across a rising platform. In all, the cube's interior that was visible was of the same sort of scene they had beheld at beam-in - much damage resulting in electrical cascades and leaking tubes. This area of the cube's interior looked a little more put-together, no doubt benefiting from the time the away team had already taken to get to this point, the regeneration process doing its work in the meantime. Tw'eak passed through another portal, slowly moving towards a door at the far end of a long room. She saw Baird come to a sudden halt.

"Ready phasers!" Baird cried out from in front.

Within moments, Borg began to converge from all sides. "Get to the doorway!" Tw'eak shouted, pointing to the far end of the room. "Rau - we need cover. Sweep from right to left!"

Within moments, thirty Borg became active, and the team were surrounded, backed into a corner. Baird and Tw'eak stood tall, Tw'eak utilizing her sidearm at first, while Rau placed a cover shield in front of them. Sanchez ducked behind it, Th'zarik taking a position deep in the corner, ready to step forward and relieve the others. Three Borg fell - then four - all on the right, while on the left, the drones closed in, implacable, threatening.

Tw'eak holstered her sidearm and brought out the pulsewave, knocking back seven Borg with an arcwave shot to the left. This went on twice more, with the away team focusing its phaser fire to its centre and right while Tw'eak continued to provide the required crowd control on the left. A couple of remodulations later, the Borg were subdued, a huge pile of slowly-smouldering dead drones each crumbling to ash in its turn.

The portal opened, and Tw'eak fell back through it. Another narrow walkway across, through another portal, and another chamber beyond. Yet this one contained unspeakable horror.

"My God," Baird said as he beheld the scene.

"What...what are they doing to those Undine?" Th'zarik asked, putting his tricorder to one side.

Indeed, the Undine - or rather, parts of them, some sporting evidence of Borg assimilation, none of them wholly composed as fully assimilated Undine - were all about them. Rounding a corner, Tw'eak spotted two Borg drones with an Undine, its three-legged stance limp, arms shackled to the wall as if in crucifixion. "There!" she said, opening fire with her sidearm. Baird followed suit, as did Rau and Sanchez, while Th'zarik continued to scan. The Borg drones next to the Undine moved to try to stop the away team, but with no real chance of success. Soon, the Undine fell from the wall, released from its captivity but no longer living. The terminal to which it had been attached detonated in a green cloud of vapour.

Th'zarik came forward, scanning. "It looks like the Undine killed itself rather than risk becoming fully assimilated."

Baird looked around the corner. "Another - Commander!"

Tw'eak and Baird struck out at another Undine in a corner, first taking out the drones, then the console to which the Undine was attached. Once again, the destruction of the Borg resulted in the Undine psionically willing itself dead.

Sanchez looked up at the walls, full of what appeared to be preserved samples of Undine limbs, heads, torsos in partially-assimilated states. "Is this... is this what the Borg wanted to do to them?"

"I'd speculate they went so far as to try to re-constitute Undine warriors who chose their own death," Th'zarik mused.

"Like Frankenstein," Baird added.

Sanchez turned away in disgust, but there was no quarter to run to from the macabre sight. "Oh, God," she muttered.

"If we can destroy the nodes," Th'zarik continued. "it should free the other survivors from Borg control."

Rau let out a slight cry, falling to one knee. Tw'eak and Baird came to her side. "When they die... I can feel it. It's overwhelming. They're not just killing themselves, they're... they're calling out in pain." Her dark eyes stared deep into Tw'eak's. "We must help them. We must."

Tw'eak nodded. "Ensign Sanchez - stay with the lieutenant. Keep her covered. Baird, you and Th'zarik follow me. We need to sweep the room for Undine."

Baird nodded. "And the assimilation nodes. Otherwise this'll be for nothing."

"Let's go."


	27. Chapter 27

It had been a hard push to clear the room, but the Undine who were at risk of assimilation had all been located, the Borg around them neutralized, and the room cleared of threats.

Tw'eak's tactical support, Lieutenant Darren Baird, surveyed the room one last time, and began to pace about anxiously. "That's all of them, Commander," he said.

"NO," the disassociated voice of Lieutenant Dyralxia Rau said suddenly. She was walking, more like lurching, towards Tw'eak, with Ensign Rosalina Sanchez, who was tasked with keeping the Betazoid combat engineer safe, close behind. "There's another - there's - what?" She blinked hard. "It's gone. Just like that."

"What's gone?" Tw'eak asked her.

"The voice. It was - I don't know how to describe it. Like shrieking, only louder. Much louder."

Tw'eak looked to her medic, Ensign Shev Th'zarik. "Take a scan - is anything like what she's describing out there?"

"I am now detecting one more Undine life sign, but I'm picking up Borg signals from it as well."

Baird halted his pace. "So that's it. They've managed to fully assimilate an Undine."

Th'zarik nodded. "That would be consistent with these readings."

Tw'eak straightened up. "Alright. Then we know what we have to do." She looked around. "Hopefully, we're not too late. This cube is still regenerating. That should mean that its connection to the Collective is in a low-power state. They'd have to resume active operation to transmit their findings."

"Why haven't they, then?" Rau asked. "If they've done it - I didn't... it felt differently than the others, when they died. But that doesn't mean it's alive."

"Only one way to find out." Tw'eak looked to Th'zarik. "Get me closer. I want to verify - either way, we're not leaving until it's dead."

Th'zarik nodded. "This way."

Rau stayed still as the others moved out, and Sanchez remained with her. Tw'eak noticed and called out. "Hold it." She returned to Rau. "How are you holding up?"

"Not sure, boss. I don't want to be slowing you down, if shit hits the fan in there."

Tw'eak shook her head. "I didn't think the Borg used that kind of ventilation."

"You're kidding, right?" Rau chuckled. "That's, like, Benso's favourite phrase. You gotta spend more time in the engine room."

"Look, you're not slowing us down. I need your mind, and your kit. If we're going to be in a situation where we're all dead without shields and cover, I need a combat engineer who's smart and quick."

"Quick, I got - smart? Nah," Rau joked. "Hey, Shev?"

"Yeah?" Ensign Th'zarik came to her side.

"You got anything... I could use a good pain-killer right about now. Maybe something to suppress my telepathic abilities?"

Th'zarik opened his kit. "No, but I can replicate something - hang on."

Rau gave another chuckle. "Not too long ago you were threatening me with this stuff," she said to Tw'eak. "Just saying," she added.

Th'zarik loaded a hypospray and gave the dose to Rau. "Give it a minute to work."

Rau patted her arm. "Commander, can I tell you something?"

"Yeah." Tw'eak looked at Sanchez and Th'zarik. "Move up ahead with Lieutenant Baird, see if you can find a spot that's more defensible than here."

"Got it," Sanchez replied, and she and Th'zarik headed through the next portal with Baird on point.

"You know, it's been kinda crazy with all these Undine, but... I'm sure it's nothing, but I wanted you to know about it all the same."

"What is it?"

"When I was down on that planet, with the away team, and we got separated from the group... they were in my mind down there, too. And it felt awful, but it left a kind of trace on my brain. It's as if you had dirt on your fingers and touched a blanket - you'd see the mark."

"Right." Tw'eak shuddered involuntarily. "Sorry, I really hate the idea of anyone else in my head except me."

"I get it - I hear that a lot. But I felt it again, you know - after we all beamed back up."

Tw'eak shrugged. "That's not unusual, though, right? There were Undine all throughout the system. And they destroyed a planet."

"That's not it. I've been on ships in-system with Undine before, a couple times. I didn't even notice. This, though... it felt close. Like if you were eavesdropping."

Tw'eak furrowed her brow. "Why are you telling me this now, though?"

A desolate gleam shone in Rau's eyes. "Might not get another chance, y'know?"

"Of course you will. We'll have time to talk later. Right now, we need to get this started."

Rau frowned. "Y'know, you're not so bad, boss. Haven't gotten me killed yet. I always take that as a positive."

"Let's keep it that way," Tw'eak said with a smile. She helped Rau off her knees, and the two of them moved through the portal to meet up with Baird.

The lieutenant had taken up a position on the closer side of a bridge that spanned a gap into oblivion. There was no real bottom to this part of the cube, that Tw'eak could see, as she peered over the side. The bridge led to a ninety-degree angle, and another portal. "What's the story?" Tw'eak asked.

"I wasn't really willing to scout ahead until we had everyone," Baird said. "But this looks like a decent fallback position if we get rushed."

Tw'eak nodded in agreement, then turned to Rau. "Any way we can rig that bridge to blow, if we need it?"

"Lemme see." The engineer pulled out her tricorder. "Nah, that's... a transphasic bomb could do it, but I don't have the kit for that. I could have one beamed over."

Tw'eak shook her head. "We don't have time."

"I can put a chroniton minefield at the far end. Borg can't get through those if they're on foot."

"Do it." Tw'eak looked down. "And we'll need at least one cover shield at this end, if we need to fall back."

"I'll put a shield generator behind it," Rau answered. "Keep it safe from direct fire. Mines first, though."

Tw'eak nodded. She looked at Sanchez, who looked intensely freaked out. "Stay with the lieutenant. Th'zarik, you're with Lieutenant Baird and I."

Th'zarik gave a quick look back at Rau and Sanchez. "Good luck."

"You too," Rau said softly. "Feelin' a lot better, doc."

Th'zarik smiled, then moved up to join Tw'eak and Baird. The commander had begun giving instructions to Baird when he approached. "-keep your weapons down until we know for sure that we're up against it. If we can verify that it's dead, and get out of here without needing the fallback position, that's the best-case scenario."

"What do we do if it's not dead?"

Tw'eak grimaced. "Take it down. Or die trying." She tapped her commbadge. "Sh'abbas to _Repulse_."

"Go ahead, Commander," the captain replied.

"Captain, we've verified that the Borg have completed the assimilation process with at least one Undine. They're still regenerating, so we have a window of opportunity here."

"Please tell me that you know where it is."

"We've narrowed it down to within..." Th'zarik made a series of hand gestures - holding up three fingers, then zero. "Thirty metres of our position. We're assuming it's alive, we have telepathic confirmation from Lieutenant Rau that-"

"Get in there and stop them, before it's too late."

"That's kind of why I'm calling, Captain. I want to have Lieutenant Sagittori on standby. This is too important to trust just one away team - I need him to get another team together and be prepared to immediately beam in and finish this, if we should fail."

Baird stopped his ceaseless scanning of the surrounding for a moment, staring intently at Tw'eak. Ensign Th'zarik took a deep breath.

"We're preparing a defensive position leading to what we believe to be the assimilation chamber," Tw'eak continued. "I can have Lieutenant Rau give Chief Faso beam-in co-ordinates - either behind that position, or where we fall."

"The lieutenant won't be leading that team, Commander," Corlett responded. "I will."

Tw'eak was taken aback. "I - sir, is that really a prudent risk? If you should be assimilated-"

"If it's as you say, then I need to be there and see this done."

Th'zarik put a hand to his face, while Baird shook his head vigourously without comment.

"I hope you'll bring plenty of security personnel if you do," Tw'eak responded after an exasperated moment. "But I understand," she added.

"Commander V'Sar will be in overall command until one of us returns," Corlett added. "I'll beam over with a team in about five minutes. _Repulse_ out."

Rau approached, having overheard the commotion. "Did I just hear him say that he's leading another away team?"

"For better or worse, yeah."

"Oh, it's worse." Rau snickered. "Much worse. Captain can't tell a phaser rifle from a plasma coil. No idea why he feels the need to get involved - before today I hadn't seen him off his ass in years. Now, twice in one day all of a sudden."

"Lieutenant," Tw'eak corrected.

"Just saying, boss."

"I have to agree," Baird added. "I mean, no disrespect intended to the captain."

"Oh, I intended," Rau corrected. Tw'eak shot her a disapproving look. "Just saying."

"Still, the risk of his being assimilated and the associated loss of operational knowledge that would represent if he were taken by the Borg is an unacceptable risk."

"I don't disagree," Tw'eak replied. She smiled at the group. "But he's not here yet."

This gave Rau a chance to pause. "What are you thinkin', boss?"

"We need to get in there and secure the situation before the captain arrives. It's our only choice."

"So now we're on the clock," Sanchez said slowly.

"I'd rather think of it as giving this our best shot. Rau, you take Sanchez - get back across that bridge. Be ready for anything. Baird, you're with me."

"What about me, Commander?" Th'zarik asked.

Tw'eak took a deep breath. "Stay with Rau. We'll move in, find out what's going on, and call you if we need you. Sanchez, whoever we call for, you come with them. If this thing's managed to kill itself psionically, like the other Undine did, then we're in and out. Otherwise, the lieutenant and I will lure it into your position. Then we all need to strike together and take it down, any way we can. Questions?"

There were no questions.

"Let's go." Tw'eak and Baird moved forward through the portal, weapons slung over their shoulders, while the rest of the away team doubled back to their position with phasers ready. Tw'eak and Baird continued along another corridor, the next portal tucked to the right. "This way," Tw'eak said. "You got a tricorder?"

"Yeah," Baird replied. "I'd feel better doing something. Hard to just walk casually on a Borg cube."

"Keep it low, scan for that Borg/Undine signal that we picked up earlier."

The portal opened, and standing before them, about fifty metres distant on a raised platform, was the unmistakable profile of an Undine psi warrior. Unlike any other of its kind, however, this one glowed green from cybernetic implants embedded in its skin, and shone a red laser towards them. Tw'eak and Baird both shuddered as a telepathic message resonated in their minds: RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.

Tw'eak pulled her sidearm phaser and fired a shot at the beast, hitting it in the shoulder. It began to advance, and Baird dropped his tricorder, breaking into a sprint through the open door. Tw'eak fired another shot, this one striking the assimilated Undine in the torso, throwing sparks from cybernetic armour there. This seemed enough to get it to accelerate, and she, too, turned and ran towards Rau's prepared position.

Charging after them, closing the distance with considerably greater pace than any other Borg drones, the assimilated Undine appeared at one portal just as Tw'eak passed through another. Within moments, the sound of phaser fire from the rifles at Rau's position began to resonate in the chamber, the shots scorching the air all around Tw'eak as she ran. She reached the perimeter of the shield generator and took a position right in front of it, firing her sidearm again and again until a thin shield appeared. She looked down. Maximum setting - and limited effect. Keying the re-frequencing code into the sidearm, she realized she could sense the monster approaching through her antennae.

A burst of yellow-white energy seemed to cascade out in front of the assimilated Undine, something like Tw'eak had seen higher-ranking Tholians use as a weapon. Where it landed on the ground, corrosion began to take hold right away, and the thought of targeting the bridge crossed Tw'eak's mind again - no point in that, she remembered, the structure was too strong. And the odds of them withstanding a few rounds of this stuff, enough to weaken the bridge and collapse it with the Undine on it, seemed rather unlikely.

The assimilated Undine raised its arm, firing a burst of fluidic antiproton - then another - and the force of the blast rocked Tw'eak from side to side. The cover shields Lieutenant Rau had erected were no match for the blasts, shattering and falling to pieces all around. Moments later, it crashed through the barrier of chroniton mines, momentarily staggered by the damage of four of them detonating almost as one. Tw'eak heard Rau give a quick shout of glee at the sight of the assimilated Undine taking the hits for once, instead of them.

But now what? That perimeter of mines was their only ace in the hole. Tw'eak could tell that her target's personal shield was almost gone, though it could regenerate some of its shield if they didn't sustain fire. But that seemed near-impossible - someone had to be remodulating their weapons, constantly, which limited the weight of fire her team could bring to bear. No innovative tactic, no clever idea or last-minute ingenuity, came to her mind. The all-encompassing stare of its cybernetically-enhanced eye was too much for her, as it darted from target to target, and she realized she was not doing likewise - she had become target-fixated.

She looked behind her. Ensign Th'zarik was tending to Lieutenant Baird, who had been wounded, while Lieutenant Rau prepared another fixed position, this one housing a bio-repair field module known as a 'medical generator'. It seemed as though the Undine liked to target the cover shields Rau put in place as rapidly as she could make them, leading to a few moments in which Tw'eak saw Rau put out another cover shield, and another, only for them to last but a few shots against the Undine. Behind Rau, remodulating, Ensign Sanchez wore an expression of fury, hopeless against the advancing beast.

There was only one way out of here - this horror of the Borg's creation dead, as many of her team as possible left alive. This seemed a forlorn option, but the alternatives were worse - that they all were dead and the Borg victorious, or perhaps worse, the assimilated Undine choosing to withdraw while Tw'eak's team was left to deal with a sudden onslaught of hundreds of other drones in a rush. They had all the advantages, tactically. It just didn't feel like it. Now to keep the assimilated warrior pinned down until it was destroyed. The phrase 'easier said than done' came to mind.

Tw'eak looked at the Undine, but a few paces away now, and came up with a terrible idea. She vaulted forward from her position, into a full run, and leapt into a flying drop-kick. Lunging into the assimilated Undine's forward-stepping leg, she knocked it out from under it, leading the drone to stagger, momentarily dropping to one side, bracing itself along the railing. This was the moment - Tw'eak tumbled forward once she collected herself, brought forward her pulsewave assault weapon, and took aim at the monster's flank.

The effect of the blast knocked the Undine to the other side of the bridge, just as Baird, Sanchez and Th'zarik resumed firing. Tw'eak had put herself in a position where the Undine would have to turn its back to one of them - the question was which of the two it would choose first. This, however, was a relatively easy choice - Tw'eak had no cover in which to remodulate her weapon, had no combat engineer at her side, had little hope of surviving more than a couple of blasts from its wrist-mounted cannons.

But the Undine had other ideas. It first threw a psionic shockwave of some fashion or another in the direction of Tw'eak's team. This affected Rau far worse than the others. Then it raised its arms, one at a time, each blast tearing not into Rau, but targeting the Andorian medic. The first blast obliterated Shev Th'zarik as he reeled from the psionic impact. Whether he even felt the second blast, or was still reckoning with the anguish inside his own mind, was not entirely clear. Th'zarik dropped to the ground, his uniform charred, his eyes wide in fatal surprise.

Tw'eak stood up. "No." She fired again, and again, until she was forced to remodulate - but there was no place, no time, so she drew her sidearm, aiming precisely at the back of the terror's head. Baird joined her in aiming for the head, and then Sanchez did as well, while Rau shrieked at the sight of Th'zarik's dead body falling next to her. The assimilated Undine raised its arms again, this time destroying the medical generator, and in the impact knocking Rau to the ground as well.

Inside of Tw'eak burned a fury bright enough to warm the deepest winter day on her homeworld. "No," she said again, and fired the phaser once more. When it, too, caused a small segment of shielding - adaptation - to emanate between her and the assimilated Undine, she threw it, raging, screaming at the implacable beast as she did. The phaser struck it on the arm, briefly causing it to turn and aim at her. As it did, Tw'eak came within range, and brought forth the pulsewave - not to use her trusted weapon of choice in the manner she so frequently did, as there was little point. Instead, she struck the Undine in the mid-thorax, and wound up to do so again. The fluidic drone was having none of it, however, and knocked her aside with a solid strike.

Tw'eak's ribs struck the handrail of the walkway as her left side crashed into the barrier, and the pulsewave flew from her hands, looping around on its shoulder strap so that she fell upon it. The risk of the drone's melee attack was one she had been prepared for - the force of it, however, was another matter. She felt herself begin to flutter, losing consciousness. As she did, however, she could see Baird and Sanchez rise together, weapons freshly remodulated, to finish the job. She lurched forward, reaching behind her, groping along the barrel of the pulsewave, bringing it around to aim at the Undine advancing on Baird and Sanchez.

As soon as her hands grasped the trigger guard, they flew through a well-rehearsed motion, initiating the remodulation cycle. Tw'eak began watching the reticle intently, putting all of her concentration into the circular indicator that chimed brightly once the process was complete. She raised it to her shoulder, rolling forward and falling onto her chest, her wounded body unable to both take her accustomed position on one knee and aim to hit the target. She braced the stock to the ground and triggered the arcwave, catching the Undine by surprise and knocking it towards Baird and Sanchez.

Tw'eak had been so transfixed on the enemy that she hadn't noticed that Rau had placed a second chroniton mine barrier in place right behind where the initial shield generator had been placed. Knocked into the mines by the blast, the Undine - it writhed like a jellyfish as multiple chroniton blasts tossed it about, and it collapsed, slowly, falling backwards, its massive form splayed out in multiple directions, its wrist cannons and psionic abilities silent at last. Tw'eak rolled onto her right side, trying to push herself up off the parts of herself that hurt the most. She engaged the pulsewave safety, and used it as a crutch to push herself into a seated position against the bridge's handrail. She felt herself beginning to black out, but a sharp, shrieking blur caused her to blink her way back into focus.

Ensign Rosalina Sanchez had not been long out of the Academy. Tw'eak remembered watching her smiling face on the shuttlecraft over to _Repulse_ \- they had joined the crew of the ship around the same time. As far as Tw'eak knew, this was her first away mission. And now, Ensign Sanchez was - Tw'eak saw a combination of images as she faded in and out. First Sanchez was kicking the fallen drone, swearing at it in a language Tw'eak didn't know. Then her phaser rifle was at her shoulder, and she fired point-blank into its head. Next Tw'eak saw the same phaser rifle being used as a club, and Sanchez swung it by its barrel, repeatedly bringing it down onto the Undine drone's head, creating a shockwave of shattered cybernetics and bodily fluids where the rifle's butt-end made its impact. Tw'eak felt her voice trying to express itself, but her throat tasted of blood, and she gurgled out a half-spoken admonishment before she looked up again to see Lieutenant Baird wresting the phaser rifle from Sanchez's hands.

Then somehow she found herself in the _Repulse_'s sickbay, her uniform jacket stripped away, a cacophony of unending beeping and anxious, terse orders being issued from Dr. Ogilvie. The pain was unlike anything she had felt before - how could an impact like this hurt so much? She tried to speak, but nothing came out. She was acutely aware of the presence of fluid of some kind all over the lower half of her face, unaware that she had been gushing blood from her mouth since the transporters had brought her back to _Repulse_. Tw'eak tried to raise her right arm, to wipe her face, but Dr. Ogilvie slapped her arm aside, so she let it rest instead.

One of the nurses - Lieutenant Morlack, she guessed by the Benzite's appearance - stood at her right side, wearing a surprisingly pleasant expression for a moment of pure crisis. Around Morlack's side she could see Dr. Horsell, another of the ship's doctors, working to get Lieutenant Rau stabilized. A crash cart came in from the right, being wheeled to Horsell by another medical officer, who was obscured from view moments later. The semi-circular arrangement of the sickbay meant she could see another bio-bed was occupied, though whoever it was had been covered by a reflective sheet that caught Tw'eak's eye. She coughed, and heard Ogilvie and Morlack exchange remarks without any way to listen, any way to respond. She was vaguely aware of her discomfort at the scene, annoyed at being in this state, at the mercy of medical personnel once again. Her agitation began to grow, and Ogilvie reached onto the cart at her side, administering a hypospray. Tw'eak suddenly felt disembodied, and with a brief consideration of the distinct possibility that she had just experienced death, had a brief vision of one of her mothers' smiling faces as she lost consciousness.


	28. Chapter 28

For some time, Tw'eak had been unconscious. Then, her mind came clear - but her body was not her own. She felt herself in torment, being rebuilt from within. Her eyes finally looked down to see black armour plating, tubes connecting her arm to her torso, Borg assimilation in progress. She tried to break free, but she was fastened into her alcove. She could feel something pressing against her arm, and attempted to - yes. Her bio-mechanical arm was still hers to control. Somehow, the Borg hadn't broken its connection to her conscious mind. The arm was slowed, like she was inebriated, but it still had power. And now, so did she.

Tw'eak reached out and tore at the point of contact on her left arm, severing the alcove's connection by doing so. Then, as a drone stepped forward, she pulled back her arm with deliberate motion. and thrust it outwards, a hard pushing motion, that forced the drone back. This brought another, and then another, moving towards her, their armatures and appendages raised, trying to bring her back into the collective. She clutched at the tubes and plating with her arm, but slowly her impulses were silenced and it fell to her side. She tried to scream at them, but her mouth, her voice, was no longer her own to command-

Tw'eak came to, her throat dry, her eyes slightly crusted shut. Her antennae, dormant against her resting head, came fully up and around as she scrunched her eyes shut in disorientation. She could sense one person - and a few other objects, as well as an EPS conduit running just above her - was she in her quarters? She opened her eyes to see that she was. And the single person in the room other than her had stood to approach her.

Instinct overcame Tw'eak, and she tried to get to her feet, but this proved to be a tactical misstep. She had overrated her own strength - her entire left side felt sharply tender - and underestimated the distance to the ground. Her feet slammed into the carpet of her quarters with her legs almost fully extended.

It then came to Tw'eak that she was wearing nothing but a slip of a gown, just as she fell backwards, both legs fully in the air.

"Hey," the person said. Tw'eak could tell that the person was female, petite, and by the looks of her uniform, Starfleet medical personnel. She looked closer - no distinguishing features, smooth nose, pink skin, mid-length black hair... human. Her eyes refused to focus clearly. "Hey, let me help."

Blind and stinging from both the impact and her injuries, Tw'eak tried to scramble away, but only succeeded in having her arms fall out from under her. Her right shoulder smacked into the deck, and she used the reliable strength of her bio-mechanical arm to push up and take a closer look at who was trying to help her.

"My name's Gwen Downie," the person said. Tw'eak noticed now that while Downie had reached out to her, she hadn't touched Tw'eak in any way. This detail made her realize who she was dealing with.

"Ship's counselor," Tw'eak added.

"That's right. I know this might seem a bit odd, but I'm here in a medical capacity. I've been monitoring your condition. I'm glad you're awake."

"I - see. I mean - thank you?" Tw'eak suddenly felt warm all over. "I'm in my quarters now."

"Let's get you back into bed," Downie suggested. She extended her hand once again, and helped Tw'eak - who had all the resistance and strength of a toddler - to rest on her back again. The blankets came up over her bare legs, and Tw'eak shuddered at the sudden storage of the warmth her body had begun generating with her exposure to the open air. Downie brought a chair forward and sat in Tw'eak's line of sight. "Now, to answer. You're in your quarters. That was my idea - I figured you'd prefer the privacy, given how severely you were wounded."

Tw'eak touched her left side. Everything felt whole again. She no longer tasted her own blood. "How severely?" she asked.

"Blunt force trauma collapsed your left lung, shattered several of your ribs. But it struck low, so you're lucky, no damage to your cardiac system. But you lost a lot of blood. You're in one piece, but the regenerated muscular tissue and bone will need a little time to be back to their old strength."

"How long?"

"At least ten more days."

Tw'eak shook her head. "You expect me to remain in bed for ten days?"

"No, that's just for the next three days." Downie offered a sympathetic smile. "Light duty and no away team duty for a week after that."

Tw'eak did the math. "What aren't you telling me? What's the current stardate?" She tried to sit up. "Computer-"

"You've been sedated for the past four days." Downie looked to the floor. "Let's just say it was for everyone's safety."

Tw'eak's eyes widened. "What?"

"You're a very difficult patient. At one point you... I don't suppose you remember pushing Doctor Ogilvie over."

The remembrance of her supposed assimilation - her brain playing tricks on her, it seemed - caused her to grimace. "I - Uzaveh's name, did I?"

Downie nodded, then looked back to Tw'eak. "It's actually something they train us for, in combat triage. The last thing you'd remember experiencing was trauma, so your response would be more instinctive than is typical. That said, I've..." Downie softly laughed. "Some of the other medics thought you did it on purpose."

The remembrance of what her Andorian instincts were capable of - and how hard she had to work to contain them behind a thin blue veil of professionalism - came back to Tw'eak. "She kind of had it coming."

"Yeah. She'll be moaning about that for weeks."

Tw'eak cringed. "At least it'll take her mind off the duty roster."

Downie shook her head with a laugh. "Somehow, I doubt that." She leaned forward slightly. "Do you want to talk about what happened on the mission?"

A sudden recall of the events of that mission - the bridge, Th'zarik's death, the desperation, her injuries, the vision of herself as a Borg - made her twitch in bed. This was not a response she had expected, and she gave a breathless gasp as she tried to get up, but floundered on her back instead, unable to rise.

"It'll probably take some time," Downie continued, taking Tw'eak's hand, "before you're in a good place to do that. But I wanted you to know that I'll be ready when you are."

Tw'eak nodded. "So noted." She took her hand back from Downie's and cleared her throat. "Until then-"

Downie gave Tw'eak a look of concern. "It's an important part of your making a full recovery, Commander. It's the easiest one to overlook and neglect, too."

"I understand."

"Especially for officers who push themselves too hard," Downie added, her sympathetic grin returning.

Tw'eak gave Downie a sharp glance. "I didn't have a choice."

"What makes you say that?"

There was a pause. Downie crossed her legs and leaned back into a listening posture. "Ever since I came onboard, it's been one thing after another. I don't understand this ship - I don't understand how this happened, how this whole last few days even happened."

"As I understand it - and I have been cleared, for the record; I've read Lieutenant Baird's report - we came to encounter the Borg when they were engaging the Undine, having learned that they were about to complete the assimilation of one of the Undine they had captured."

"Not just the one - hundreds of them. I don't know - all up the walls, as many as I could count, in bits and pieces, partially assimilated. Others who hadn't just been samples, still alive, partly assimilated - and they killed themselves, psionically. That's what we found. And it was awful, so awful." Tw'eak shook her head. "I had to stop them."

"You did? Alone?"

"The team and I - not just me alone."

"I'm trying to figure out what motivated you, in that moment, trying to understand."

"We only had a few minutes. The cube was re-activating, the vinculum needed to be destroyed." Tw'eak looked up sharply at Downie. "Tell me they destroyed it."

"Yes, Lieutenant Baird wanted to tell you himself, but the cube and its vinculum were destroyed. Whatever secrets they learned on that cube were lost as a result."

The tension released in Tw'eak's shoulders. "We did it," she acknowledged.

Downie nodded. "Yes. I don't know much beyond that, like the current state of things, but neither will you for the next few days."

"I'm stuck here."

"Yes." Downie stood up and went over to the replicator. "Katheka," she said, and the replicator complied. Moments later, she brought the cup to Tw'eak.

"Well played," Tw'eak said, taking a sip.

"Thank you." Downie smiled. "First rule of making a customer into a return customer is to make them feel at ease."

"Is that what you're doing?"

"Well, not in as many words. But I do consider it my business to know this crew, what they're capable of, that sort of thing. Senior officers are no exception."

Tw'eak took another sip - it was replicated but it still tasted more like katheka than anything else she had tasted lately - and stared off into the distance. " 'This crew'," she repeated. "I can't comprehend 'this crew'."

Downie gave a shrug. "You know that feeling like, no matter what you do, you're not going to measure up?"

"I think I just experienced a lifetime's worth of that feeling," Tw'eak joked, touching her left side.

"A lot of the time what I hear - and not just from my regular customers, either - is how hard it is to live up to this uniform. They think they're supposed to be heroes, but what can be heroic about bio-neural gel packs, or EPS conduit maintenance, or phaser coil emission levels, to name a few?"

"I remember feeling that way. My previous posting, on the starship _Nelson_, I started out feeling like that. By the end of that posting, I had been promoted twice, and I was on my way here."

"Would you say that you feel like you have a hard time living up to the uniform?"

Tw'eak paused. "Yeah. Same feeling, for different reasons now."

"Because that's what they're talking about, on the lower decks. In their version, you faced off against that assimilated Undine in single combat. These sorts of tales tend to grow taller in the re-telling."

"They always do," Tw'eak replied with a smile.

"And it will - a few more times." Downie uncrossed her legs. "I've seen a change in this crew, since you've come onboard. There was a lot more of that fear before, a lot more... insecurity. But your whole program - the drills, the feedback, the example you set - it's working. They're not as anxious, not as afraid, anymore."

"Thank you." Tw'eak looked up at the ceiling. "That's the first positive feedback I've gotten since I arrived."

"Which takes its toll, I'd imagine." Downie leaned back into a familiar pose, listening. "I wondered if you wanted to talk about your relationship with the captain, at all - if that's something you're comfortable discussing, of course."

Tw'eak took a deep breath. "Where do you want me to start?"

* * *

By the time Tw'eak's conversation with Counselor Downie had brought itself back around to the captain, hours had passed. A series of other factors in Tw'eak's life - the professionalism of the crew, her high expectations for herself, how having lost five siblings and two of her four parents had taken its toll in her life, what being Andorian meant to her, what learning she would never be a mother had meant to her - had entered into the frame and each been given careful consideration by both of them as to what they meant and how it all mattered.

"I just don't understand it," Tw'eak said. "I mean, he has two kids - one, he's never met. Yet he's only now reluctantly agreed to go on leave."

Downie pushed her dark hair aside as she scratched behind an ear. "He's... as we said before, he's very particular about things."

"I know, but that? He's hands-off with everything, it seems. I just can't be like that."

"You take your duties seriously. But to be honest, Commander, you might want to take a lesson from Captain Corlett."

"A lesson?" Tw'eak turned on her bed slightly to look more closely at Downie. "What kind?"

"Every part of you - your being in Starfleet, your relationships, your self-confidence - all of it stems from a constant yearning to be recognized. It's not exactly ambition - you're a little too self-abnegating, and far too self-critical, to call it strictly an ambition. I've worked with officers who define themselves by the last medal they received, and by the ones they haven't. That's not you."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Tw'eak replied, a little sheepishly.

"No, I can see just by the way this room is furnished that you're not one for sentimentality. You value efficiency, propriety. It speaks to a strong sense of order, of justice. The concept of honour you learned on Andoria, spliced with Vulcan logic."

Tw'eak smiled as Downie paused for a moment. "This is where the lesson part comes in."

But Downie didn't continue. Her eyes were fixated on a spot on the wall to Tw'eak's left, making it hard for her to see what held the counselor's attention. "What I was going to say is that you've distilled two peoples down to their essences and taken the best of both, but that doesn't help me explain the presence of that dagger on your wall."

Tw'eak didn't need to see it to describe it. "The _kut'luch_," she said with a grimace.

"An assassin's blade, if I remember correctly," Downie said, indicating the _kut'luch_. "I attended a conference, once, on Klingon cultural symbols and objects - in the specific context of counseling survivors of wartime service. But I have to admit to having no idea what it would be doing here."

Tw'eak reached up with her right hand and pressed against the ragged, twisted scar on her neck. "I felt the same way when it ended up in here."

"So this isn't the first time you've sustained serious injury as a result of your duty."

Tw'eak smiled as her hand fell to the bed. "No, this is the... fifth? sixth time? But yeah, that was the first. My original reminder of my shortcomings." She held up her bio-synthetic arm. "Guess I never learn," she chided herself.

"So what happened?"

"My first year onboard the _Nelson_ \- the captain insisted on beaming down to try to settle a local colony's dispute by sitting down and talking it out. It turned out that one of the factions was being influenced by the Klingons, so they sent support - among other things, an assassin. That blade up there was intended for her. No way it would harm her - not if I could help it. And so, yeah. It got me, instead."

Downie stared intently at Tw'eak's scar. "But why not have it fully healed? Why leave the scar?"

"It's not really by choice - there are limits to what medical regeneration can do for Andorian skin, especially in the neck." Tw'eak blinked and looked at Downie. "We're complicated."

"I know. I failed my Andorian physiology test the first time I wrote it, when I was qualifying as a fully-serviced medical officer. The pass threshold was 85% and I didn't quite get there." Downie shook her head. "The complexity of your nervous system, because of the antennae, is really quite something."

"Yeah. Nothing about my people that isn't a huge mess, it seems." Tw'eak allowed herself a quick laugh before adding, "including me."

"This is part of what I was going to tell you, earlier. The lesson, to learn from Captain Corlett?"

"Right."

Downie reached out to indicate with gestures, closing and opening her hand as she spoke. "You've given so much, and lost so much, in service, that you've taken to holding onto the things you can control. Duty stations, efficiency ratings - tangible numbers. That gives order, but not direction. You can't ask three percent more of a junior officer, you can only give them suggestions as to how to improve."

"I suppose," Tw'eak replied.

"No, it's true. I don't get to use numbers, just like the sickbay doesn't have a chart saying, 'you're sixty-seven percent healthy, minimum is sixty-five, so back to duty'. The whole purpose of Starfleet is go out looking, exploring, in search of the unknown. And yet we rely upon known integers and percentages to tell us how we're doing. It's something the captain rarely does - he wants to see the crew improve, certainly, but he also recognizes that they can handle things themselves."

"I'm intervening too much?"

"I'm not sure. But your expectations, as a whole, are far higher than can be sustained. These next few days might be a good time for you to reflect and ask yourself what matters."

"I don't have any real complaints. We performed well against the Borg."

Downie took a deep breath. "Is that an assessment, or a reflection?"

"Both - no?"

The counselor shook her head. "I'm not talking about performance or efficiency - those are rational properties, they can be accounted for and tallied. I'm talking about the irrational side of things. Who do you want to be, to this crew? You clearly want to set an example. But the overworking, maximum-effort model you're using can become counterproductive, really quickly."

Tw'eak gazed at the ceiling over her bed. "I pushed them too hard. And now Ensign Th'zarik is dead."

"I'm not talking about this past mission. You said it yourself - you did what you had to do. But the ship you come back to, afterwards... it has to be a place where it feels welcome, a place they want to be."

"This is what you meant by 'lesson'," Tw'eak said with a glance to Downie. "It's not something he's doing that I'm not, but something he's not doing - and I'm not, either."

Downie smiled enigmatically. "Giving them targets and outcomes to strive towards, okay. But they're yearning to be recognized, just as you are. And you're the only one who can satisfy that yearning, in their hearts and souls."

"I'm not their mother," Tw'eak said, her eyes returning to the ceiling. "I'm not anyone's mother. Never will be."

"That's not what they need, either. More like... an older sister."

"No," Tw'eak said flatly. "No, I was terrible at that. Ask my sister. Actually, some of the stuff Dashii did when she was younger was totally my fault."

"Commander." Downie wore her most sympathetic smile. "You're missing my point." She tilted her head slightly. "Perhaps intentionally, I think."

"Which is?"

"Ask yourself who you want to be, to this crew. There's a need there, to pull everyone together, to make this starship one of the best in Starfleet. The only question is how that's going to happen. Because it'll depend on you. You've already balked at being their big sister - so what would you be instead? A headmaster? A martyr, perhaps?" Downie looked down the length of her nose at Tw'eak. "I doubt any of those would suit you."

"You're probably right," Tw'eak replied. "I don't think either would."

Downie stood up, smiling. "I'll leave you with that to think about."

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, I have my appointments to keep, with my regular customers. The first one is at fifteen-hundred. Computer, current time?"

The computer squawked in response, then said, "Current ship's time is fourteen-forty-seven."

Downie nodded. "Just enough time for a quick lunch."

Tw'eak shook her head. "You can eat in that short a time?"

"It helps I don't eat much," Downie replied, straightening her uniform tunic. "Now, Lieutenant Morlack will be on duty in sickbay this evening if you need anything - but be nice." Downie's smile became sarcastic. "No pushing."

Tw'eak nodded, offering a smile of her own. "I really appreciate you taking the time to be here."

"It's my job," Downie replied. "Besides which, I needed something new to gossip about down in the mess hall later on."

Tw'eak raised an eyebrow. "Now, you know I don't believe you, but someone else might."

Downie laughed, a sort of half-breathing giggle noise. "You're such a straight arrow - I knew you'd say that."

"You did."

"Oh, yes. First call my bluff, then remind me of my duty. I may not have had the exact wording down, but I had the form of it well enough in hand."

Tw'eak gave a slow nod. "Alright, alright. But I'll adapt my tactics for next time."

Downie took a few steps towards the door, brushing aside a few loose tendrils of hair from her face as she turned back to face Tw'eak. "I'll be back to say hello in a couple days, but if anything serious crops up, I want you to know that I'm here for you, Commander - any time."

"As I said, it's appreciated."

"In the meantime, try to think about those questions - I think you'll find the answers to be quite revealing. Is there anything else I can do for you, before I go? You should be able to move well enough to get around in here, but don't go too far from bed - you need to rest."

Tw'eak tried to sit up, but she was simply too tired. "I think a little sleep is all I need right now."

"In that case, sleep well, and let us know if you need anything."

Downie crossed through the door and left Tw'eak alone. Her effort to grapple with the questions the counselor had asked - about identity, about her role on the ship, about re-defining herself - would have to wait for now. She felt incredibly vulnerable all of a sudden, as though the doubts and questions had unmade her somehow, and she sought to protect herself beneath the blankets. Her antennae twitched about, anxious, but the only one in the room with her now was herself - the last person's company she felt she wanted. But she was too tired to fight even with herself, so she accepted sleep as it came, and drifted away.


	29. Chapter 29

The days had passed ever so slowly for Tw'eak. There wasn't much to do, among the things she enjoyed doing most, that involved lying still for the sake of healing. The next day, Counselor Downie returned around the same time. After the first few questions about how she felt, a quick medical tricorder scan, and checking to see if Tw'eak needed anything, Downie began. "So, I have something I want to talk to you about - but first, I want to know if you've come up with an answer to my question."

"Who I want to be, to this crew," Tw'eak said, repeating the question. "You'll be happy to know that I've been thinking of little else."

"That's good."

"Oh... I would disagree. I haven't gotten any further in my thinking, though."

"It's that difficult to think about? I'm surprised."

"Can I answer the question in terms of who I can't be?" Tw'eak asked sarcastically.

"If you like," Downie replied. "If it'll help you put yourself in better context, establish some limitations."

"I can't be affected by the things that happen - I have to be professional. But I'm supposed to just go about putting myself and others in harm's way, without reacting to it. I can't let myself care - I have to be rigidly objective, not just because it's the regulation but because everyone on this ship seems to have some... clique or group to which they belong, to which they give first allegiance, with Starfleet running a distant third or fourth. It's too dangerous to be close enough to anyone, or honest with anyone, let down that guard. So I guess that whoever I intend to be, she'll be lonely, as usual."

"You don't have anyone you're close to, outside of this ship?"

"Oh, trust me, lonely is the best possible state for me to be. Everything else is just... an uncontrolled vulnerability. My family shows up when they need something, want something, want to feel justified in taking credit for what I achieve."

"That's not all that uncommon, actually," Downie replied. "Friends?"

"There are a few people I try to keep in touch with, but I haven't had the inclination."

"Why not?"

"What would I tell them? Besides, they don't want to hear from me."

Downie tilted her head at this. "You sound awfully certain."

This led Tw'eak to point a finger. "Don't. No. Just don't."

The tone took Downie aback. "I won't, then. But you should."

"Don't."

"There has to be someone," Downie said with a shrug.

"And what? I'm going to reach them by subspace, tell them to sit back and listen to my woes for an hour?"

"Not necessarily 'woes', but conversation - see how they've been."

Tw'eak grimaced at the thought. "Nope. Not my thing."

"Why not?"

"Because it's hell. I'm a tactical officer by training. Social occasions, that sort of friendly banter, it's just another form of warfare. 'How have you been - oh, you've been busy. Me too. You're busier, more successful, got more to talk about than I do.' That's when they lose me. Plus they've probably also gotten married, had kids, have a life outside of a uniform... and I'm still never going to have any of that. Again, they lose me. No common frame of reference."

"I can see how your medical condition and your inability to have a family of your own-"

Tw'eak made an effort to sit upright, managing a half-sitting posture. "I told you before, that's off-limits."

Downie raised a hand, relenting. "Right. But in this context, sociable conversation, saying hello by subspace... It doesn't have to be like that, if you don't want it to be."

"It does. And it will be. Because I don't get good news anymore. It's just someone else I cared about, dead or in trouble or whatever else, and that's all anymore. And I find out all over again how wrong I was to bother."

"Bother with what?"

"Getting my feelings involved. It's why I don't want to bother opening that door. I start... caring about people, thinking of them, wanting them to be something other than what they are, and just like that, it's a countdown to the first disappointment. And there's never just one disappointment, oh, no. It just establishes a pattern of what's to come, until I'm acting out of obligation because I made the mistake of not just..." Tw'eak's voice rose as she spoke. "You know what I want to be? Who I want to be? There's a reason I went to Vulcan. I wanted to be like them. I would've undergone _kolinahr_, if I could - I am so tired of my emotions. I'm better than what they make me feel, what they turn me into..." Tw'eak's tone fell into a rasping whisper, before she roared with each succeeding word. "Unfeeling! Impassive! In control! That's what I want."

Downie seemed to be fighting to keep her facial expression neutral, but this was clearly not what she had expected Tw'eak to say. It took a few moments, during which Tw'eak collapsed into sobs, for her to respond at all. She merely held out a hand to Tw'eak at first.

Tw'eak's eyes burned as she stared hatefully at Downie. She had never resented someone more than right now - scorning the counselor for being so capable at breaking through Tw'eak's defenses and piercing her to the core. It took her a few moments to realize the significance of the gesture - Downie was showing she was no threat, her facial expression one of concern - and she brushed it aside rather than take it. Tw'eak placed her own hand on her forehead, instead. She could feel the emotion overwhelming her, and she hated it - hated herself for it. Yet this made it worse. She looked to Downie. "This is really awful, I'm sorry."

"It's what I'm here for," Downie replied.

It took considerable effort for Tw'eak to put all of her usual comportment and demeanour back into proper order, like she was physically building the walls she felt separated her truest self from the universe around her - not that those walls would count for much when Downie had the metaphorical equivalent of a transporter. "This is why I'm never going to get a command of my own, you know."

"What makes you say that?"

"I can pull it together - on missions, on duty... at least for a little while. But it never lasts. It's exhausting. It's not natural to me. And it's hard to see the point of doing it, most of the time. It really doesn't matter if I achieve command rank or not - it'll take years to achieve if I do, and even then, for what? Another ship like this one, boldly going to check in on every star system we've been to before."

"It's an important task."

Tw'eak snickered. "I don't see how you can say that. There's a war going on out there, with the Klingons - Orion slavers, Nausicaan pirates - Romulans fighting Romulans - and then there's the question of who's next, Undine or Borg or Tholians or ...I don't even know. But it's always someone. Nothing ever seems to change for the better. It doesn't matter who's in command."

"And why do you think that to be the case?"

Tw'eak shook her head, eyes rolling. "I know you're a counselor and all, but come on, do you really have to do the 'leading question' routine with me every time?"

"I'm not - not consciously doing that. I really want to know. I have no idea how command track recruitment works, but if you have some insight into why these things 'never change', as you put it, I'd love to hear about it."

A pause. Tw'eak stared blankly. "I don't want to get into it," she muttered a moment later.

"Because," Downie continued, "I think what we have here is another instance of you using your unattainable expectations for yourself as torture devices. Things do change. We used to be allied with the Klingons, against the Romulans - then with the Klingons and Romulans against the Dominion and the Cardassians, during which time we were briefly against the Klingons again. Things change. Good officers can take those changing things and create opportunities, if they're ready for them. You've done this a number of times since you've come onboard. Who knows, maybe that command opportunity will come along a lot sooner than you expect."

Tw'eak resumed shaking her head. "It's much too soon. I was a tactical officer for a lot of years... I've only been a first officer for three months so far. Even if I could request a command, what for? They'd turn me down flat. I'd be wasting their time."

"Wasting 'their' time," Downie repeated after a moment. "Hmm."

Tw'eak's antennae flared, her eyes turning to the counselor. "What 'hmm'?"

"It's just an interesting construction of phrasing - most people, in that moment, would've considered it a waste of their own time, rather than the other party's."

"You know it would be. I'd be out of line seeking so rapid a reassignment. Besides which, I doubt the captain would like it."

"I thought you'd previously established with me that you don't much care about what the captain thinks."

"He's still the captain. And he'd be the first one they would want to talk to - my most recent posting." Tw'eak considered further, lowering her voice. "Then there are people here to consider."

"People you care about?"

"No, who... seem to have come to depend on me, a bit."

"I thought you didn't have time for - what did you call them? Vulnerabilities of some kind."

Tw'eak stopped talking.

Downie pressed on, however. "You're succeeding, Commander. You're getting through to those people - the 'cliques' you talked about, those folks? They're hanging on my every word, when they ask me how you're feeling."

"You don't actually tell them-"

"They know where I've been. I could swear Ensign Koepka was hanging around outside the door waiting for me to come out yesterday. I've got to tell them something. So I tell them yes, you're alive - nothing more. Is there anything you'd like me to tell her? I doubt it. But this is where I do what you don't like, start asking them leading questions about themselves. How does Commander Sh'abbas make you feel? What does she mean to you?"

There was a moment of silence as Downie let a question remain unanswered. Tw'eak realized this was another gambit of hers, to force Tw'eak to come back to the conversation, but she took the bait all the same. "And what do they say?"

"I won't tell you."

Tw'eak was half-certain this was the coming response, but it hurt all the same. "Oh."

"You're not ready to hear it."

"I don't understand."

"Anything I tell you from what they say - even the things they say in public - would just get fed right back into that same narrative you've got going there. Tw'eak Sh'abbas doesn't deserve friendship, even though she's crying out for it from the inside. Tw'eak Sh'abbas doesn't deserve command, even though she expects to have had her own ship for years now. Tw'eak Sh'abbas is supposed to be more special than where she's at now - and somehow Tw'eak Sh'abbas should be better than acting like a normal sentient being, too. They could appoint you Admiral Quinn's successor tomorrow and you'd complain about the view from his office, or the number of padds on your desk. Something - anything - to give yourself a reason to go on with this extended sequence of rationalizations."

"So what's the answer, then?"

Downie heard Tw'eak, and recognized the topic shift. "To the question...?"

"Who do I want to be?"

"You may not need _kolinahr_, but you definitely need to come to grips with your own sense of self. You want to be objective, professional, direct - all those things you think good commanders should be?" Downie pointed at Tw'eak. "Start within yourself."

"Within?"

"Yeah. There are a mess of contradictions running rampant in your thinking. If you were ever as hard on Ensign Whoever from logistics as you are on yourself, you'd probably be up on charges for harassment, maybe even endangerment. And I know you're frustrated - but you can't take out those frustrations on yourself. You've got this all built up into what should have been by now, and what should never have happened - and you've got all the evidence locked up, so no one can contest the charges. It's unjust. And it's cruel."

"You know, one of my parents was in the Judge Advocate General Corps."

"I remember," Downie replied. "But the point holds - whether it's justice, or science, or crew evaluations, or this. You have to take an equal measure of everyone, including yourself. It's the only way to develop, otherwise it becomes unhelpful, it prevents you from making the progress you need to make in order to reach your potential."

Tw'eak frowned. "I gave up on achieving the potential everyone thought I had all those years ago."

"I don't believe you - I don't think you believe that, either. When did that happen?"

The question startled Tw'eak. "I don't know."

"And why accept promotion if you felt you had no further potential? No, I think you're scared of it. Other people saw some hint of greatness, of capability there, and something about that terrifies you."

"Of course it does."

"It does not. At least - it's not the prospect of success that scares you. You've already been successful. At this point, it's a habit for you." Downie raised her hands and reached out to Tw'eak, a revelation at hand. "No, what you're scared of is that they were wrong."

"They probably were."

Downie's hands fell to her side. "Not in the slightest. They're well in the majority at this point. People see your quality all the time, Commander. They trust you, they follow you. You earn the respect of everyone you meet - friendly or foe alike - precisely because they can tell, instantly, that you're capable. But sooner or later, they'll see your weakness - they'll see that doubt. And it'll hurt."

"For who?"

"Doesn't matter if it's a thousand dead or a single paper cut - you'll admit it as evidence, at that never-ending court-martial in your own mind, and-" Downie clapped her hands. "Guilty." She leaned in towards Tw'eak. "If you want to really achieve that potential you think - that you're scared to possess, then you have to stop jumping to the conclusion that you never will. You do that, and some day? You'll prove yourself to be absolutely correct."

Tw'eak glared at Downie for a moment, not sure what to say.

"No, no," Downie said, raising a hand. "Think about it. Then tell me what you think."

"You're not going to make me repeat to myself how much I like myself now, or something, are you?"

Downie burst into laughter. "Heavens, no." She smiled at Tw'eak. "Oh, I'm sorry, Commander, it's just... that's the third or fourth time you've shown me just how hard this is for you."

"I - what?" Tw'eak's antennae curved towards her head.

"Every time you do that, trying to anticipate my next move... it's as you said before. Conversation as conflict." Downie nodded appreciatively. "I can only imagine what you make of diplomatic functions."

Tw'eak shuddered. "Ugh. Hate 'em."

"Then I suppose you won't want to hear that there's one scheduled to be held in your honour."

Tw'eak sat bolt upright. "What?"

Downie got up to help Tw'eak lay back down. "I'm sorry, that must come as quite a surprise. Please, let me help you lay down."

"Cancel it," Tw'eak insisted as she got back into bed.

"Oh, I'm sorry I can't."

"Of course you can. Tell them I can't. I'm not well enough. Blame the trauma or something."

"The Republic was quite gracious in bringing this together."

"The Repub - the Romulan Republic?"

Downie nodded as she returned to her seat. "The very same. You played a key role in the liberation of some of their people from the Tal Shiar. Imagine their surprise when they found out that the Starfleet officer who led that mission had previously led a rescue mission on..." The counselor tapped her chin. "I had the whole thing on a padd in my office."

"Dimorus station," Tw'eak replied. "Or do you mean Gasko Station?"

"That's the one. One of the survivors that you rescued is looking forward to presenting you with the Order of Mol'Rihan. Proconsul D'Tan will be attending. And so will you."

"Uzaveh's name," Tw'eak muttered. "I hadn't put it together until now. But that was when I was aboard the _Nelson_."

"Yes, it was some time ago, apparently, well before you were promoted to the full rank of Commander. I read the mission report that resulted in your promotion - the one from Brea III, where you called down orbital strikes on your own position." Downie smiled. "Very risky. But proof of what I've been saying. If even the Romulans are recognizing you for your quality, maybe you should believe it yourself."

Tw'eak lay back and stared up at the ceiling. "Admiral T'Nae once told me never to believe anything a Romulan had to say."

"This one time, I think it's okay." Downie stood up. "Admiral Quinn contacted the captain and asked him to ensure we'd be there. I think he might be attending, too."

Tw'eak lifted her head. "How long until we arrive?"

"I'm not sure, actually. Probably some time tomorrow. The captain's deferred our arrival at Starbase 234 so that we can go to the new homeworld."

Typical - the captain had put going to New Romulus ahead of their scheduled stop at the starbase - anything not to take shore leave. Tw'eak was annoyed. "Alright," she harrumphed.

"With your permission, I'd like to come with you."

Tw'eak raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"You need to be monitored, for medical purposes. And I can keep you balanced."

The wording caused Tw'eak to feel confused. Her eyebrow remained raised. "Okay, explain."

"This isn't going to be easy with you. Everyone's going to want to talk about how wonderful you are, how capable, how great the things you've done have been for the Romulan people."

"I'll hate it," Tw'eak stated flatly.

"Every minute of it. So, I can help - provide the social equivalent of suppressing fire, if you like."

Tw'eak caught the twinkle in Downie's eye and laughed. "Alright, you're on."

"Besides, if you require any medical attention, I'll have you under observation the whole time."

"I'll have to replicate a dress uniform for the occasion," Tw'eak said.

"Already done. It's waiting to be picked up, down in Materials."

Tw'eak narrowed her eyes. "So that was what you had to tell me."

"No way I was going to miss a chance to bring that kind of news." Downie stood up. "I'll bring the uniform by later. You'll probably want to spend part of the rest of today practicing movement, trying to not walk like an Undine smashed you recently."

"Is there really no way we can cancel? Or maybe just do this later?"

"I'll tell you what. I'll ask the captain. And when he's done screaming at me about your request, I'll come back and tell you no. Or we could skip that step."

"He's not happy?"

"Is he ever?" Downie asked.

"He just doesn't want to go on shore leave, like I finally convinced him to do before all this happened," Tw'eak said, pointing to her wounded side.

"He's a difficult one, as we've discussed. Still, I must be off. Appointments to keep, as always. I'll stop by later." Downie indicated her commbadge. "I'm never far, if you need anything. And Lieutenant Morlack in sickbay, as well."

Tw'eak nodded. "Thanks. See you later."

Downie turned and left, and as the door closed, Tw'eak felt herself bursting with anxiety. A formal state occasion - in her honour? There was just no way that this was something she felt ready for - or deserving of, for that matter. She tried to think of the right things to say, how best to conduct those delicate diplomatic and stiffly formal conversations, and the thought of it overwhelmed her. She sank into a restless sleep, vivid dreams of banquets and speeches more confining than the decks of a Borg cube taunting her as she slept.


	30. Chapter 30

The ground known as the 'staging area' just before the main embassy building on New Romulus was a busy place at the best of times. Tw'eak materialized with Counselor Downie close behind her, both in full dress uniform, near the midday hour. The makeshift transporter platform upon which they arrived was flanked on both sides by people - officers from Starfleet and the Empire, both welcome here, alongside centurions of the Republic. All had someplace to go, and Tw'eak was appreciative of the busy crowds that flowed around her.

She looked to Downie. "The embassy building is just over there."

Downie began walking alongside Tw'eak, looking around. "This is remarkable. They've built all this in the past six months?"

Tw'eak nodded as she and Downie descended the ramp. "It's been longer for me. I can remember when it was still Dewa III, before they made it official."

"Oh, me too. But when we were last here, shuttles and supplies were all that existed." She noted a small creature hopping along in the distance. "And the epohhs."

"Oh yes," Tw'eak said, glancing over at the bounding epohh just at the edge of the walkway. "They don't mind us, it seems. Cute little things, aren't they."

They walked past a group of Romulans training with rifles, and another group disputing the intended destination of a bundle of supplies. Before long, they stood before a lengthy flight of stairs, split on either side by a riser upon which a statue of the late Ambassador Spock had been built by the Republic government. "Remarkable," Downie repeated.

"It's the least he deserved," Tw'eak replied. "I know the Star Empire loyalists hold Spock, and the Vulcan Science Academy, personally responsible for Hobus, but the Republic holds him in much higher esteem."

Down the stairs, coming towards them, a dark-haired Romulan called out, "Hello!" Tw'eak looked up to see a woman smiling, standing expectantly. Whether it was the overly familiar mannerism or the unexpected welcome - on New Romulus, Tw'eak would've expected to hear 'jolan tru' - she felt herself becoming increasingly anxious about this.

"Hello," Tw'eak replied. When they met on the stairs, Tw'eak shook her hand. "T'Kela?" she ventured.

"Yes," T'Kela replied joyously. "You remember. Oh, I thought for sure you wouldn't. I know how busy you've been."

Tw'eak nodded, with a glance to Downie. "This is Cou- er, Lieutenant Commander Gwendolyn Downie, also of the starship _Repulse_."

"A pleasure," T'Kela said, shaking Downie's hand.

Downie's smile in response was genuine and sincere. "So nice to meet you."

"I was hoping to meet you - actually, I was worried I'd see Admiral T'Nae."

Tw'eak fought the urge to react with surprise. The admiral was attending in person? How big a deal was this? "Uh - why, is that?" Tw'eak asked instead.

"Oh, when I went through my debrief with her - about the disappearances, about what they were going to do with me... I didn't get the sense she believed me."

Tw'eak remembered a conversation she had once had with the admiral, in which T'Nae had made it clear she found nothing truthful that was spoken by a Romulan. Perhaps not the most logical of things for a Vulcan to espouse as a belief, but certainly a viewpoint earned with experience. "She's a Vulcan. It can be hard to tell."

"And now you've saved R'len and the others from the clutches of the Tal Shiar. I can't tell you how grateful we are. My people seem to be fewer in number every day - just disappearing, huge numbers of them, whole colonies sometimes. Now we know it to be the work of the Tal Shiar."

Tw'eak began to ascend the steps. "Do you have proof of that? For certain?"

"Not personally, no. I'm not directly involved. But I've heard from friends who work with Republic Intelligence that the Tal Shiar have a new ally, a totally new player in this region, who they're struggling to understand." T'Kela stopped at the top of the stairs, waiting for Tw'eak to turn towards her. "They think this new ally - using probes or drones to attack - snatched me from Cirini Prime in the first place."

"Is that your homeworld?" Downie asked.

"This is my homeworld," T'Kela replied, "for I am Romulan." She gestured to the open expanse of the staging area. "But the Cirini Prime colony was where I settled when I was without a homeworld for a time, yes."

"The lieutenant commander doesn't know the story," Tw'eak said to T'Kela. "Of how we met."

"Oh! Yes." T'Kela looked down. "One day I went for a walk on the cliffs, near my settlement. I remember seeing something strange, and hearing a metallic buzzing. Then everything went black. I woke up in a cell. No one was there at first, then a Romulan doctor was there, refusing to speak to me. They addressed me as a test subject - planned on implanting me with Borg technology!" T'Kela paused for a moment. "I didn't think anyone could be so callous. Not even the Tal Shiar."

Downie nodded. "From what we've seen, they certainly can be."

"So I've heard," T'Kela replied, before turning back to Tw'eak. "I want to thank you again for rescuing me from an unpleasant fate."

Tw'eak gave a half-shrug. "Just doing my duty."

"You saved my life." T'Kela made a sort of half-bow of honour to Tw'eak.

The doors of the embassy opened, and Admiral T'Nae emerged, her eyes riveted on Tw'eak. "Commander," she said as Tw'eak saluted. "It is agreeable to see you again."

"Likewise, ma'am." Tw'eak gestured to Downie. "This is Lieutenant Commander Downie, who's agreed to accompany me, and I believe you've met T'Kela in the past."

"Indeed." T'Nae nodded to T'Kela. "I hope you are well."

"Greatly aided in that wellness by not being a Tal Shiar test subject any longer," T'Kela said with a hint of a smile. "I should go and see if everything's ready for your arrival, Commander. I'm glad we had a chance to talk."

"Good to see you," Tw'eak said quickly.

T'Kela took a quick look around the group and smiled. "Jolan tru," she said, and departed.

This left Tw'eak and Downie in Admiral T'Nae's company. "I had not anticipated her sincerity of appreciation," T'Nae said, looking after T'Kela. The dark-skinned Vulcan's brow furrowed. "They are a most particular people. I often find it illogical to consider that we were descended from the same species."

"I've seen closer families that had less in common," Tw'eak replied.

"I wanted to apologize. When the proconsul learned of your involvement in the _Areinnye_ affair, he saw an opportunity. I did not wish to divulge your medical status at the time for fear it would result in ...speculation."

"I'm well enough to handle this diplomatically, Admiral. You can count on me."

T'Nae looked at Tw'eak - more like through Tw'eak, as if her eyes were drilling lasers. "I cannot press upon you enough how imperative it is that you do not discuss any recent events in which your starship has been involved."

"Absolutely - I know better."

T'Nae took a quick glance over her shoulder. "The crisis of the continued attacks on Republic colonies is severe enough without any discussion of-" T'Nae merely looked at Tw'eak, then Downie, with piercing intensity. "Recent developments," she stated tersely.

Tw'eak nodded. If the Romulans were losing people left, right and centre to a mysterious adversary who wasn't the Borg, reminding them that the Borg were still very capable of assimilating entire worlds rapidly - let alone the potential existence of assimilated Undine - was probably not going to make any Romulans in attendance sleep any more easily.

T'Nae continued. "I reason that the purpose of this event is largely as what my colleague Commander Genstra refers to as a 'manufactured victory'. The Republic is keen to present an image of being seen to do the right thing with regards to isolated colonies of their people. Having the officer responsible for the heroic action on Brea III, who has overseen the rescue of at least fifty Romulans from the Tal Shiar, is one such way of declaring victory for the Republic."

"What exactly do they think I did on Brea III?"

"I do not know. They are aware that you arrived alone, and called down multiple orbital strikes upon or near your position, in difficult urban terrain. The outcome was the neutralization of Empress Sela, and the death of Colonel Hakeev." T'Nae raised an eyebrow. "The least the Republic can do, given your service that day, is commend your bravery."

"You did all that?" Downie said, surprised. "I read the report - at least the parts that weren't redacted. They left out a lot. Wow."

"The commander was also persistent in advising Obisek against the use of thalaron weapons against the Tal Shiar, and played a key role in earning the trust of the Reman resistance."

"I wasn't that persuasive," Tw'eak replied. "He just really didn't want to have to use them."

"I am not so sure," T'Nae said gravely. "Nevertheless, your involvement in the past few months has played a pivotal role in preventing these events from becoming flashpoints for further conflict. I am ...curious as to how your presence seems to correlate to where the newest crisis begins to unfold."

"Just luck," Tw'eak said, before correcting herself. "Bad luck, to be sure."

"To Vulcans, there is no such thing," T'Nae replied. "The proconsul has asked me to escort you into the embassy. T'Kela will signal when they are ready."

Downie pointed behind T'Nae. "Looks like she's coming out now."

"Very well. Then let us make our entrance."

Downie squeezed Tw'eak's arm. "If you don't mind, I'm just gonna wander around out here for a bit, take a look around."

"I thought you wanted to come," Tw'eak replied.

"Oh, I want to know how it goes, and I'll want to talk to you about it after. But this is really about you, Commander. I'd just be... in the way."

Before Tw'eak could reply, Downie turned and went back down the stairs. _So much for suppressing fire,_ Tw'eak thought to herself. She turned to T'Nae. "After you, Admiral."

Together, Tw'eak and Admiral T'Nae walked into the embassy, and the awaiting reception just beyond its massive doorway.

* * *

The ceremony component of the evening hadn't been for Tw'eak alone, as it turned out. Romulans, Remans and other citizens of the Republic, along with certain recognized members of the Federation and the Klingon Empire - even a representative of the Ferengi Alliance - had been honoured with the Order of Mol'Rihan as part of the event. It had been a rather elegant affair, all things considered, the round central atrium of the embassy building serving capably, with receptions in the adjoining areas, large tables holding up surprisingly well for the copious quantities of drink and food piled atop them. Tw'eak had made her rounds a few times, done all she could to show the right spirit, but she was exhausted.

"Sh'abbas to Downie," she said into her commbadge.

"Downie here."

"Can I meet you at the entrance to the embassy?"

"Should I beam over?" Downie asked. "It'll take me a few minutes to walk."

"Where are you?"

"I ...don't actually know. On a bridge, I can tell you that much. South, I think, of the staging area? But I know the way back."

Tw'eak nodded. "I'll see you when you get here. Sh'abbas out."

She placed her fluted drink - she hadn't particularly enjoyed it anyway - on the nearest table and made her way through crowds of people deeply engaged in discussions of momentous importance. Ambassadors and warriors, centurions and captains, admirals and citizens, all alike in these throngs of sentient beings she waded through on her way to the exit. She took a moment and changed course, approaching where Admiral T'Nae separated from her conversation just long enough to give her a brief looking over.

"I appreciate your being in attendance," T'Nae said. "Especially given your condition."

"Well, it's not every day you get your thoracic cavity knocked in," Tw'eak joked. "Even for me, this kind of injury is a bit severe."

"I understand. I have no comparable stories of grievous harm with which to trade banter, as I have often witnessed to be a human custom."

"Oh, it's an Andorian custom as well. That, and the epic re-telling of how the injury was earned."

This brought forth T'Nae's curious eyebrow, arching once again. "You say 'earned'?"

"Well, you can't have an epic re-telling if it happens by accident," Tw'eak clarified.

Normally this kind of joke would've been received with laughter, but T'Nae merely nodded. "It is only logical," she said, with something of a hint of a smile on her face. "You are a most capable officer, Commander. I look forward to monitoring the developments in your career with sincere interest."

Tw'eak bowed slightly. "Coming from you, ma'am, that's high praise indeed. Thank you for taking the time to arrange for me to attend. I know we've been... busy with other matters in distant sectors of late."

"And you will be again soon, if I am correctly informed." T'Nae offered a quick glance at the people just behind her.

"I'd bet you are, ma'am." Tw'eak gave a salute. "Thank you, Admiral."

"Commander." T'Nae turned back towards the group, her hands clasping behind her back once more.

The exit seemed light-years away, but Tw'eak gritted her teeth, falsified a smile, and met the eyes of everyone she passed, desperate not to transmit any sense of distress in a room full of Romulans. Were they as capable in telepathy over short range as the Vulcans? They were related, after all, but Tw'eak had never heard of a Romulan mind meld. Still, the fear of her thoughts being apprehended, her discomfort at continuing to be on her feet being broadcast to a room full of grateful Romulans, the prospect of it being misinterpreted... was the medal around her neck making her head heavier, or was it always this heavy?

There were a number of anxieties she carried with her as motivation, as she stepped deliberately across the room to the door. Like a starship with her automation disabled, she willed her legs, one at a time, to stride in the direction of the exit, deliberately, not wanting to be seen to rush, desperately wishing she could. The abject fear of losing consciousness here, in this place, now, galvanized her limbs and fortified her constitution. She refused to allow herself to submit to the pain and create an embarrassing scene before T'Nae and D'Tan and everyone else. The thought of her unconscious body lying across the carpet, her Andorian skin providing a nice contrast with the purplish-blue of its fabric, and an image of that scene going out across the Federation News Service, compelled her onwards. Finally, she crossed the threshold of the door, and sat down on the steps where she had met T'Kela and T'Nae earlier - and also, where she had parted from Downie.

It took several minutes for the ship's counselor to come into view, down the path at the far end of the staging area. Tw'eak could see Downie raise her hand to her commbadge. "Downie to Sh'abbas."

"Sh'abbas. I see you."

"So that is you seated on the steps, about seventy metres ahead of me."

Tw'eak raised her arm and waved. "Yeah. Hi."

"Oh, dear. I'll hurry."

Tw'eak raised a hand at the sight of Downie breaking into a run. "I'm fine here. Don't alarm anyone. They've got enough to worry about."

"Okay, okay." Downie slowed down. "So how was it?"

"I don't know... it was pretty much what you'd expect."

"Any cute Romulan guys you can introduce me to?"

"Maybe," Tw'eak replied with a smile. "I hear D'Tan's single."

"Hmm, not my type. He's married to the Republic, anyway."

"So I've heard."

Downie continued on for a couple paces before she tapped her commbadge. After closing the distance, she climbed the stairs. Tw'eak rose to descend, but Downie waved her back down. "No, no, you stay there."

"Alright," Tw'eak replied, doing as told. "Just resting here was helpful, but I'm ready to beam up to _Repulse_."

Downie had a look of some concern on her face. "Um, actually, change of plans. I've called for a shuttle to come and pick us up."

Tw'eak's antennae straightened up in surprise. "A shuttle - why?"

"Even then, it won't be one of our shuttles," Downie continued.

"Why?" Tw'eak repeated.

Downie looked everywhere but in any direction that made eye contact with Tw'eak. "Well, Commander... I suppose you'll find out anyway, since you'll have to take a leading role in the investigation."

Tw'eak got to her feet. "Just tell me."

Exasperated, Downie sighed, then her eyes finally met Tw'eak's. "Something's happened onboard. They've raised shields as a precaution."

"Precaution - of what kind?"

"The transporter inhibiting kind of precaution," Downie continued. "Someone on board has been murdered."

Tw'eak stopped in her tracks. "Who?"

"It was an Ensign Mellivenk. He was shot at close range by a phaser, he's gone. The captain wants - Where are you going?"

Tw'eak hadn't waited for Downie to finish her update. She had gone down the stairs, medal jangling as she went, and headed to the nearest shuttlecraft she could find - a Romulan shuttle. "Hey! HEY!" she screamed at the flight officer.

Startled, the Romulan flight officer, padd in hand, dropped his arms to his side. "Commander? Is everything alright?"

"No. I need a shuttle. Right now."

"I can't help you with that, all of my shuttles are either full of cargo, or they're allocated to VIP transport once the reception's finished."

"Commander!" Downie said as she finally caught up with Tw'eak. "Let's try to stay calm about this."

Tw'eak rounded on Downie. "There's a murderer aboard my ship - I should be there." She turned back to the flight officer. "What Federation ships are in orbit right now?"

"Several," the flight officer replied, crossing his arms.

"Good." She looked to Downie. "Maybe we can beam up to one of them, ask them for a shuttle back." To the flight officer, she then asked, "Tell me the names of some of the ships that are up there right now. Starfleet vessels."

"Uh, well, that would breach security-"

Tw'eak reached quickly and snatched the padd from his hands. She scanned the list quickly.

"Hey!" the flight officer exclaimed, taking the padd right back. He turned to Downie. "This is totally unacceptable - what's this about?"

But Tw'eak had seen a starship registry that she recognized, and turned away from the flight officer and Downie, speaking into her commbadge instead. "Sh'abbas to _Tecumseh_."

After a moment, there was no response. "The subspace relays are probably at capacity," Downie suggested quietly. "Lots of people beaming back to their ships."

"Sh'abbas to _Tecumseh_!"

"_Tecumseh_," came a female voice in reply. "This is Captain Collins. It's good to hear from you, Commander."

Tw'eak's voice was devoid of pleasantries. "Captain, I'd like permission for another officer and myself, here on New Romulus, to be beamed aboard - immediately. I'll explain everything once I arrive."

"Oh, this sounds serious. Stand by. I'll contact my transporter room and meet you there myself."

"Thank you, Captain. Sh'abbas out." Tw'eak turned back to the flight officer. "I am sincerely sorry. There's a crisis I have to deal with, aboard my starship."

"I heard," the flight officer replied. "You're from the ship where someone just got murdered last night, right?"

Tw'eak drew a sharp breath. "Let's just... keep that between us, shall we?"

"Anything you say." The flight officer indicated her medal. "Anyone who wears one of those is someone I can respect, even when they breach security protocols. But, given what's happened... I won't say anything."

Tw'eak grimaced. This was exactly the kind of thing she had worked so hard to avoid on _Repulse_ \- exercising personal favouritism, making exceptions, normalizing the sorts of unprofessional breaches of discipline ...like the one that she was responsible for making happen mere minutes earlier. And now, here she was, using her newfound glory as a friend of the Republic to persuade someone in the service of that Republic not to report her for her actions. "We appreciate that," Downie said before she could reply. After a moment, she shepherded Tw'eak a few steps away from the flight officer, to help the Tecumseh's unseen transporter officer to lock onto their patterns. She then leaned over to Tw'eak. "If there's anything I can do to assist you in this investigation, please let me know."

Tw'eak gave the counselor a nod, before her commbadge chimed. "This is _Tecumseh_," a male voice declared. "Please stand by." Moments later, the two vanished into the transporter beam, returning to space.


	31. Chapter 31

Thirty minutes and one quick, calming talk with Captain Collins later, Tw'eak emerged onto the bridge of the starship _Repulse_. As ever, Captain Corlett had left Lieutenant Commander V'Sar in charge. Unusually, however, no one was at tactical, and all of the aft duty stations were inactive. Aside from V'Sar and Ensign Brienne Koepka at the helm, the bridge was empty.

Tw'eak stepped forward, allowing Lieutenant Darren Baird, Counselor Gwen Downie, and chief engineer Salvatore Benso to make their way to the conference room. She made her way to the conn. "Ensign," she said to Ensign Koepka, who was at the helm, "I want you to take us to these co-ordinates." Tw'eak made a series of inputs into the helm. "At warp speed, immediately."

"Ma'am?" Koepka was confused. "Those co-ordinates..."

"Would put us equally distant from the Gamma Eridon and Narendra systems. Yes, I know. It's why I selected them."

"It's the middle of nowhere."

"Take us out of orbit and lay in the course, as soon as possible," Tw'eak repeated, impatiently. Then she turned to V'Sar. "I want us on security alert - shields up."

V'Sar arched an eyebrow. "May I inquire as to why?"

"No," Tw'eak said flatly. "Not yet. All of this is on a need-to-know basis. Neither of you are to discuss these orders, or our destination, with anyone." Tw'eak turned back to V'Sar. "And all comms traffic is cleared through me - nobody raises a subspace channel of any kind unless I'm aware of it."

"I understand."

"What's all this about?" Koepka asked.

"Need-to-know," Tw'eak replied, and went into the conference room.

Her arrival came as Lieutenant Baird had just finished calling up a display of Intersection 4-F, a junction between two perpendicular corridors on Deck Four. "Computer, seal the door and engage encrypted recording of all facts and data presented, authorization Sh'abbas Zeta 117."

"Authorization confirmed," the computer replied. "Recording begins now."

Tw'eak sat, facing Baird, Downie at her side. Across the table from her, in the second seat from the display, Benso was seated, leaving a chair for Baird, who stood at the viewer. "Now. The facts, please."

"Yes, ma'am," Baird said. He turned to the viewer, then back to Tw'eak. "Shouldn't we ask the captain to join us?"

"We should," Tw'eak said. "Computer, stop recording." The computer's noises were those of compliance. "We'll start over once the captain joins us." She pressed a button on the table's console. "Sh'abbas to Corlett."

"Corlett." The captain sounded grumpy - nothing Tw'eak didn't expect. "What is it?"

"We're about to begin the briefing on Ensign Mellivenk. Would you care to join us?"

"Hmm, yes, I suppose I should. I'm a bit predisposed at the moment, though, perhaps you should start without me."

Tw'eak frowned, aware of Lieutenant Baird's eyes upon her. "Sir, under the circumstances and given that one of our crew were murdered in so brazen a fashion-"

"Fine, fine. I'll be right there. Corlett out."

"Computer, unseal the door - then re-seal it once the captain arrives." Another affirmative beep followed. Tw'eak gave Downie a meaningful look, then caught sight of Benso laughing. "Commander?"

"This is rich - even for him," Benso said, shaking his head. "One of his guys gets waxed like that and he's 'predisposed'. The hell could he be predisposed with?"

Downie pre-empted Tw'eak's response. "Computer, locate Captain Corlett."

"Captain Corlett is in the captain's ready room."

Benso gave another snarky chuckle. "Unbelievable."

"Commander," Tw'eak implored.

"I know, I know. It's just - I hope if anything ever happens to me, he takes my getting murdered a little more seriously."

"Even if he did," Baird joked, "people might think it was a privilege of rank."

"Oh yeah, 'cause if there's one thing about rank that I love, it's the privileges." Benso threw a dismissive wave towards Baird. "Get outta here."

The door opened, and Captain Corlett entered. He adjusted his uniform tunic and came around the table, sitting in Baird's chair. "Let's get this over with," he muttered.

"Computer, re-start recording." Tw'eak looked up at Baird. "Go ahead, Lieutenant."

"Thank you," Baird said. "Sixteen hours ago, Ensign Mellivenk was completing his duty assignment in the shuttlebay. He was returning to his quarters by the usual route at oh-six-oh-five ship's time, walking down this corridor, from this direction." Baird indicated the corridor labeled 4 Main, guiding his hand from the right of the screen towards Intersection 4-F. "It was when he reached the intersection, we think about here, that he was struck by a phaser beam and vapourized."

"What?" Corlett was astounded. "Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"I requested your attention to this matter at oh-eight-hundred or so, sir," Baird replied.

Corlette seemed not to notice Baird's point. "The manner and the nature of this attack is so... how is this even possible?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Baird pointed to the screen. "Security team and a forensic scan by Doctor Horsell determined that he would have been killed instantly."

"Where were the safeguards?" Corlett demanded. "There should be a field in place to prevent weapons fire."

"That field is only active regularly on the bridge and in main engineering," Baird replied. "It can be activated remotely from other areas if there's a reason for it, like a security alert, but... as you can see, it wasn't. We've since activated the energy dampening fields in all hallways and open areas across the ship, as a precaution."

Downie spoke up. "You said you 'think about here', in terms of where he died."

"That's correct. Our tricorders detected a nadion field, consistent with a phaser set to maximum striking a living target, in this area here. Whether the ensign was a few inches this way or that, it's here that he was impacted by the phaser blast."

Downie wrinkled her brow. "Why aren't you certain, though?"

Baird frowned and looked at Benso. "Go ahead."

Corlett turned his attention to Benso, as did Tw'eak. "Tell us what?" the captain demanded.

Benso hesitated for a moment. "Internal sensors were offline," the chief engineer admitted.

Corlett looked astounded. "All of them?"

"I got guys trying to figure out what happened. The sensors got locked into a maintenance cycle. Shouldn't happen, but it did."

"When you say 'shouldn't happen'," Downie asked.

"I mean never. Sensors in that corridor - that corridor was torched with plasma from when we fought the Borg not a week ago. We had just done the maintenance and fully re-activated those sensors."

"Look into it," Tw'eak said. "I want to know how and when those internal sensors were off. And for how long."

"I'll find out - trust me, this is embarrassing."

Downie turned back to Baird. "What do we know about the victim?"

"Ensign Mellivenk was Marsanpi." Baird pulled up a biographical readout showing a tall, willowy figure, violet-skinned, vaguely smiling.

Downie shook her head. "I don't know the species."

"He's one of only seven of his people in Starfleet. His native form of communication is telepathic. He actually had to learn to speak - like, at all - to join Starfleet."

"He couldn't just communicate telepathically with his crewmates?"

Baird shook his head. "That'd be against regulations - non-consensual telepathic communication of any kind isn't permitted. And not everyone wants to talk with their minds. Besides which, I was just reading about Marsanpi language, and it's more... I don't know how to describe it, it's like a cross between hieroglyphics and gestalt."

"This is all fascinating, Lieutenant," the captain interrupted. "But who were his acquaintances? Did he have anything in his background that would serve as motive?"

"That's the thing. Mellivenk didn't have many associates, let alone friends. A few people tried, but he found verbal communication for social purposes to be exhausting. I've reviewed his personal logs - all recorded by hand, rather than by voice. All they tell me is that he was lonely for his own people, but proud to be serving in Starfleet, setting an example for his people back home."

"So there's no clear-cut reason why someone would want to kill him," Tw'eak ventured.

Baird shook his head. "Not that I can see, ma'am. I could understand if he had debts or owed favours, or if he had any sort of meaningful ties to... anything, really. Ex-girlfriend, bad guys, whatever. But all of his work was on shuttle maintenance, and everyone in the shuttlebay spoke very highly of him."

"They would, though," Downie inferred.

"I had Lieutenant Rau accompany me in my initial conversations," Baird replied. He caught Tw'eak's sharp gaze and looked to her. "Under the circumstances I wanted the satisfaction of knowing I had a better read than just face value. I trust that they were sincere."

"You said it yourself," Tw'eak observed. "It's against regs."

"Rau assured me that she was just looking for ill intent - feelings, not thoughts. Besides, we only have two Betazoid personnel on board, and Ensign Redus, who's in security, said Rau would be the better choice."

Benso nodded. "Yeah, Dyra's the best."

"Let's leave that for a moment," Downie said. "What about the murderer?"

"Nadion traces place the killer's point of firing right about here." Baird pointed to a position upwards from Intersection 4-F, along a corridor labeled Port 4-1. "We've been able to confirm with tricorder scans that it was a hand phaser that was used - again, at maximum setting."

"So it wasn't hard to come by," Downie added. Baird confirmed with a nod of the head. "Any witnesses?"

"Two," Baird said, tapping the screen. Two red dots appeared. One was down 4-Main, almost at the point where Mellivenk had originally been, while another was also in 4-Main, at the far end. Baird pointed to the right. "Ensign Rinehart was on shift with Ensign Mellivenk and walking behind him. She left the shuttlebay a few moments after he did, without speaking to him. Both were headed down this corridor when she reports that she saw the beam hit Mellivenk and vapourize him."

"Ooh," Downie said. "I'll have to talk to her. Poor Sam - she's had a rough couple weeks." The counselor looked up at Tw'eak. "I'll reach out to her later today."

"The other witness," Baird said, indicating the red dot ahead of Mellivenk's path, "was Lieutenant Sagittori. He was approaching from the opposite direction."

Tw'eak frowned. This explained why the tactical station on the bridge was empty when she had arrived. "Where is he now?"

"Both the lieutenant and Ensign Rinehart are in their quarters. For what it's worth, Jon says he saw the same thing - one shot, Mellivenk hit, gone." Baird turned back to the screen. "Rinehart called security and stayed at the scene - Sagittori gave chase, but whoever it was, they used a pinpoint beam-out."

"So they're no longer aboard the ship?" Corlett asked.

"No, it was triggered remotely. The beam-out command was remotely routed through Transporter Room One. We're still figuring out how."

"Same as with the sensors, is my bet," Benso postulated. "Somebody could've messed around with the ODN conduits and put in some local jumpers, rigged to a specific transporter signature or something, knocked the sensors into a feedback loop, kill this guy, and beam out."

"That was my guess as well," Baird replied. "It's also worth noting that, with the internal sensors down, we don't know where this person went afterwards. There's no evidence of any other transporter activity - Transporter Room Two was on active service at the time, so there's no reason for anyone to be in Transporter Room One."

Tw'eak gave a nod. "Unless they're up to no good," she concluded.

"Exactly." Baird took a step away from the viewscreen. "But the transporter logs show that they beamed back out to Deck Six. From there, we don't know - maybe duck into a maintenance shaft, maybe another beam out, to another ship or somewhere else by another beam. I've got Ensign Jenkins doing an internal sensor sweep for residual signs of transporter activity. He knows what to look for - if it's there, we'll find it. But in a busy system like Tau Dewa, with that many ships around - some of them cloaked - it'd be easy enough to escape. Doesn't help us answer why they targeted Mellivenk."

"Is there anything else we don't know?" Corlett asked, seemingly impatient to wrap up.

"Yes, sir - three things, for certain, so far. The first is the murder weapon. I've asked Ensign Sanchez to take an inventory of all hand phasers and phaser rifles, and scan them for recent signs of use. If any of them have been fired since our last armed landing party went out, we'll have our murder weapon."

"That will certanly help with forensics," Downie added.

"There's also the question of other witnesses," Baird continued. "No one's come forward yet, but it seems likely to me that if someone were skulking around a corridor on Deck Four with a phaser in hand, someone would have seen them. If we had internal sensors I'd know who else I could ask... but then I wouldn't need to ask, because we'd have sensors." Baird blew out his cheeks. "Figures."

"That's two things," Tw'eak enumerated. "What's the third?"

"This is where it gets weird. We found traces of theta radiation throughout this corridor." Baird indicated Port 4-1, the corridor where the killer had concealed themselves. "Now, on its own, that's not all that unusual, so close to the shuttlebay, but this was a concentrated burst. Most of it had dissipated by the time we arrived, so it was very faint, but at its height we project it was double the typical background level."

"Why is this significant?" Corlett asked.

"Because it shouldn't be there," Benso replied. "Theta radiation on a crew deck? Like Darren said, it's gonna be there in trace amounts, but maybe it was there for a reason, at that particular time."

Baird nodded. "Ensign Rinehart had to be treated for exposure," he added. "Sagittori was too, just for good measure, but both noted that the deck seemed a little hazy. That's consistent with theta radiation - it ionizes, so it's visible as a blue haze in atmosphere."

"It could just be environmental generator overload, or-" The captain turned to Benso. "Gravitational plates emit theta radiation, don't they? Maybe there was a short."

"Sure, but... Nothin' like this level of theta should come out of it," Benso replied.

Corlett shook his head. "None of this should be the way it is, Commander. From the deck plates to the phaser blast to the suspect beaming out... to wherever they went, it seems. We have a dead ensign and nothing remotely resembling an explanation as to why. I want answers." The captain rose and left. "Find them," he said as he departed.

"End recording, computer," Tw'eak said after a moment. She looked to Baird, who halted his own departure, letting Benso pass by on his way out. Tw'eak stood up, stepped around Downie, who rose from her own chair, and moved closer to Baird. "Whoever did this, they're not stupid."

"Yeah, I know. They knew our systems, our crew rotation... I don't see this being random, ma'am. But I also can't see why anyone would want to kill Mellivenk."

"Could it be that someone else was the intended target?" Downie suggested. "Maybe the lieutenant."

"I know a lot of people who don't like Jon," Baird replied. "Can't say I know anyone who doesn't like him that much." He gave a disbelieving look to Tw'eak. "If they were doing this to try to make us look bad - like, we do enough of that ourselves."

Tw'eak sensed Baird was trying to say something. "Go ahead, Lieutenant."

"Well, I've done this sort of work, sorry to say, on starships before - never this high up in the investigation, mind you, but... none of this makes any sense. If there was another target - why the precise hit on Mellivenk? And why Mellivenk, even? Guy was a nobody on a ship full of nobodies." Baird smiled at Tw'eak. "No offense."

"None taken," Tw'eak replied, smiling back for a brief moment before her tone turned serious. "But being a nobody, as you put it, didn't spare Mellivenk."

"That much is for sure," Baird replied.

"Alright. I want those officers you mentioned - Sanchez, Rau, Jenkins, even Dr. Horsell - they're to be instructed not to discuss their work with this. They want to talk, they talk to Counselor Downie or myself. We're the only ones who we know weren't aboard ship at the time - everyone else is to be considered a suspect until we clear them."

"Even me, ma'am? I mean, I could maybe pull something like this off, but it's a lot of work and it's not really worth it."

"You're probably fine," Tw'eak replied, before adding with a smile, "though that is just what the killer would say in order to get off the hook."

"I'll do you one better," Baird said. "Check the subspace logs. I was talking to my family, back on Una, right up until Sagittori contacted me."

"No need to check logs. We have to assume that there is a killer aboard, they're wearing our uniform and hiding something big. That's a suspect list of ninety people. Narrow it down. And until we have answers, verify everything, even if you have to re-do things yourself."

"Got it. Was gonna do that anyway. I'll check in with my people, let you know. Where should I report to you?"

Tw'eak started to refer to the bridge, but then had a better idea. "The counselor and I will be in the shuttlebay."

"Yes," Downie said, before snapping to attention a moment after. "Wait - we will?"


	32. Chapter 32

The shuttlecraft interior was hardly spacious - this was the same shuttle Tw'eak had taken to the freighter which had been rigged as a trap by the Tal Shiar, a mission which felt like it had happened years ago now. But there was room enough for Tw'eak to make her way to the forward compartment, followed closely by Counselor Gwen Downie, who was thoroughly confused.

"This is an interesting time for us to take a shuttle voyage," Downie said once Tw'eak had seated herself. "Especially since we're still at warp, I'm pretty sure."

"Computer, close rear hatch and seal." The computer complied, and Tw'eak turned to watch it close before she turned to Downie. "An old trick I learned years ago - shuttles have their own onboard storage which can't be accessed remotely from the ship's systems. And - yes. Computer, activate sonic dampening field and dim exterior windows." The computer once again made an affirmative noise in response, and the forward viewport became suitably opaque. "There. Now we can talk privately."

"I'm impressed. We could've just used my office for this - it's just as soundproof and opaque to the outside world."

Tw'eak nodded to the counselor. "But they'd expect that. Whoever they are. Besides which, I only need access for investigation-related purposes. We have lots of shuttlecraft. People have to come and go from your office since it's a duty station. This keeps everything safely out of the way."

"Good point." Downie sat next to Tw'eak, crossing her legs as she did. "You've obviously put a lot of thought into this."

"I owe it to him - Mellivenk, I mean. I know plenty of people who serve don't come home alive, but to be killed like this, in such a random way... it's not right."

"I don't think it's random, either."

"No, I meant the method was 'random' as in 'unexpected' - and the element of random chance to it, possibly. Unless we can figure out why it was Mellivenk who was targeted, no motive means no clear evidence he was the intended target. It might've been Rinehart or Sagittori, or an actual randomly-targeted killing, for reasons we don't know."

Downie shook her head. "I admit, my knowledge of criminal conduct is mostly from a course I took way back at the Academy, but this looks like it was targeted."

"It wouldn't hold up in court just based on supposition. What makes you think it was targeted?"

Downie ran her hands across the port-side console. "I looked something up while you were talking to the captain of the Tecumseh. Mellivenk was a Marsanpi, right? And there were signs of theta radiation being involved, somehow it was present in the corridor. Marsanpi physiology is incredibly sensitive to all forms of radiation." She pulled up a diagram of a Marsanpi individual, showing their circulatory system. "In its presence, a Marsanpi will become panicky - like having an asthma attack - because the radiation will start to affect their pulmonary system right away."

"So where you or I might've walked down that corridor unaffected..."

"For Mellivenk, this would've been - are you familiar with fly paper?"

Tw'eak shook her head. "Paper made out of insects?"

"No - with an adhesive that's intended to catch them." Downie leaned forward. "This was a trap. And he was the prey."

Tw'eak took a deep breath. "So it was targeted."

Downie nodded. "That's my guess. Lieutenant Sagittori would've walked right through it, might've cycled an air vent to clear the radiation from the corridor. He wouldn't have come to an immediate halt because his hands started to glow." Downie zoomed in on the diagram's hands. "Marsanpi have a bio-luminescence that's triggered in the presence of radiation."

"So he's walking back to his quarters, sees his hands start glowing, and realizes something's wrong."

"He would've felt it, too," Downie added.

"This gives the killer time to line up the shot." Tw'eak tilted her head slightly. "Easy target that way. But wait. Did either Ensign Rinehart or Lieutenant Sagittori make any mention of this?"

Downie pondered for a moment. "I'd have to check the records, but I don't remember either of them making mention of Mellivenk halting. Ensign Rinehart admitted that she wasn't paying close attention, though. She was pretty tired."

Tw'eak nodded. "So that's one theory. But then, who's our killer?"

"Not someone who's a good shot, I take it."

"Well, it's hard to hit a moving target, even one that's just walking by. And the distance from shooter to target was about eight metres. Not a huge margin for error if you want to kill them in one shot."

"A second shot would risk others coming, probably running, to help."

"Exactly. So the theta radiation ...it makes sense." Tw'eak looked down. "And overloading a conduit - a number of different conduits, actually - would be more than enough to put the theta radiation in the air, at just that moment."

"So does that make it more likely that the killer is still onboard?"

"Oh, I'd bet on it. There's only one way the killer knows our routines well enough to plan this deliberately. It had to be a crew member - probably with an engineering or science background, to explain how they were able to plan this. A theta radiation emission, a stolen phaser, a breakdown in the internal sensors, and a point-to-point beamout using remote inputs in advance, in our own transporter system? That's a lot of details to get right. Then they have to erase the transporter logs, delete or remove the inputs, and destroy the evidence."

"They could've used the transporter for all of that. Any device they would've used could be beamed out of where it was, maybe destroyed that way."

"So what we need to look for," Tw'eak surmised, "aren't the devices, but the places they were transported out of." She looked at Downie. "This restricts the likelihood that we're ever going to find the murder weapon. It could be nothing but atoms."

"We need to get to Transporter Room One, before it becomes operational again."

"Agreed. That'll be our next stop." Tw'eak stood up. "One thing first. Computer, transfer all documentation and recorded evidence related to the murder of Ensign Mellivenk under the authorization Sh'abbas Zeta 117 to this shuttlecraft's data storage, and encrypt the entire data storage."

"Very thorough," Downie said as the computer chirped in approval.

"No chances taken," Tw'eak said with a meaningful look. "Let's get to the transporter."

"Actually, if you wouldn't mind me letting you handle that - I have a full set of appointments and a couple of my folks are a little overdue."

"I can, sure. I'll meet you back here after?"

Downie nodded. "Or, you could go and rest, like you're supposed to be doing."

Tw'eak pursed her lips, frowning. "I'll rest better once we have answers."

"You should be resting anyway," Downie replied, turning to go. "See you after - say eighteen-hundred or so?"

Tw'eak nodded, and followed the counselor out of the shuttle. "Computer, lock this shuttlecraft and seal it, authorization Sh'abbas Alpha 99."

Satisfied as the computer responded accordingly, Tw'eak headed for the transporter bay.

* * *

"I'm totally confused."

Chief Faso was pretty typical of the Saurians Tw'eak had worked with. While they presented as laid-back, they were incredibly efficient, with minds for the smallest of details. So the fact that the transporter chief wasn't following Tw'eak's intentions was frustrating - something that the many Andorians she had known rarely dealt with very well.

"I want all the transporters taken offline until we can search the buffers."

"But there's nothing in the buffers," Faso replied. "And I've already taken both of the transporter pads apart looking for some sign of what you've asked me to find." The chief's eyes darted to a passing ensign, as they stood in the corridor separating Transporter Room One from Transporter Room Two. "Look - can I show you?"

"I'd appreciate that. Maybe I'm not being clear."

"Or plausible." Faso led Tw'eak to the control station for Transporter Room One. He called up a schematic of the transporter in operation. "Look, if someone beamed in to here, then we'd have a trace of them in the buffer. But it'd be subatomic, at best, and it'd last microseconds. The same would be true of anything they carried with them - or, as you're saying, something they separately beamed out after them."

"But what about the particle masses? Wouldn't causing something to disintegrate lead to an overcharge of particles in the buffer? Or energy?"

"I can check, but it's not going to get you very far. Unless there's something specific you want me to find."

"Nadions," Tw'eak replied. "And theta radiation."

Faso narrowed his reptilian eyes. "Seriously. You just come up with that?"

"Nadion radiation from the fired phaser, theta radiation from... the scene. We're not sure how yet. And I'm not asking you to put anything back together from that - I just need to be able to prove, conclusively, that there were nadions and theta radiation in a pattern buffer. At some point since the point-to-point beamout took place."

"But what's the draw?"

"If they're not present, then the murder weapon is still out there. If I'm right, though, whoever did this ...they know their transporters."

"Ah, I see." Faso startled. "You think I'm a suspect?"

"I don't have enough evidence yet to rule anyone in, let alone out," Tw'eak said with a smile. "Besides, I bet you have an alibi."

"Not that I need one, but yeah. I was asleep. Went off-shift at twenty-one hundred, came back here at oh-five hundred, been here trying to figure out how someone used my transporters to kill Ensign Mellivenk, just like you."

"So both transporter rooms were offline at the time of the murder."

"They were supposed to be," the chief replied. "But obviously not." He tapped the console. "Whoever came in - have you considered they may have had an accomplice?"

"I have," Tw'eak replied gravely. "Like I said, not ruling anything out."

"See, that's what I can't figure out. Someone uses this pad? Someone else has gotta be right here, where I'm standing. Maybe they can beam out all by themselves, but beaming themselves in? Someone's gotta work the system."

"We have reason to believe that the activation code was keyed in remotely - linked to a commbadge or other device."

Faso leaned back and frowned. "Now, that is useful to know."

"How so?"

"In fact, that might even - wait a minute." Faso turned back to the console and began keying in a series of commands, using direct input rather than following the console's pre-set buttons. "See, we're not supposed to do this, but I'm kind of an expert at these things, and I can tell you that - yeah, look at that. A software algorithm was programmed into this terminal, along with a command program associated with it."

"Can you tell me who wrote it?"

"No - looks like..." Faso stepped away, towards an ODN junction, which he opened, looking closely at the isolinear data chips inside. "Yeah. Someone's been messing with my system again." He turned to Tw'eak. "The inputs were made from a chip that was slotted in, right here. Whoever did that, left this chip in the wrong spot."

"Don't touch it!" Tw'eak shouted, reaching for the tricorder. Any sign of DNA or trace forensic material could be used as evidence.

"You know they already scanned this room inside-out, right?"

"Yeah, but I doubt they scanned in here this closely," Tw'eak replied, eyes fixed on her tricorder. "Damn. Polymer fragments - consistent with a pair of standard-issue gloves."

"Thought of everything, didn't they," Faso joked.

Tw'eak frowned. This was the first solid lead she had been able to trace, and while it had proven useful, she had come up empty. "I need you to come up with a reason to take all the transporters offline - indefinitely."

"All of them? You're putting me out of work."

"How many transporters is that?"

"Two cargo, two here, and all the shuttles. But I can't take them all offline. If we have a medical emergency, what am I supposed to tell Doctor Ogilvie? That woman scares me enough as it is."

Tw'eak thought about it for a moment. "Could you program a shuttle escape transporter to handle point-to-point medical emergency transport?"

"Don't want to, but yeah."

"Good. I'm using - do not share this information with anyone, but I'm using one of the shuttles as a temporary data core for all investigation materials."

Faso nodded appreciatively. "That is incredibly smart. Especially since we know whoever's done this has a solid grasp on our computer network - and, our transporters."

"Exactly. I want to tie up the whole ship's transporter system, until further notice. It won't do much good to Mellivenk, but this killer has struck once already. The least we can do is prevent it from happening again."

"I totally agree." Faso returned to the console and, after a few inputs, the lights of the transporter pad dimmed. "I'll remove the pattern buffers, take the Heisenberg compensators offline, and decouple the containment beam, then go do the other transporters. We're out in the middle of nowhere with our shields up - nobody's beaming anywhere anyway. And until we know who the killer is, that'll be permanent. You can count on me."

Tw'eak nodded. "Thank you, Chief. I should be back at the shuttle around eighteen-hundred. Counselor Downie and I will be heading the investigation, so any reporting should be done to us exclusively."

"No problem." Faso shook his head. "It's too bad. I never really knew Mellivenk. Had to think hard to come up what he even looked like, when I found out. It's enough of a risk being out in space already as it is - you shouldn't have to worry about some random crew member taking you out."

"I completely agree. It's why this investigation has become my top priority."

Faso looked down at Tw'eak's side. "You know, I saw you when they brought you back from that Borg fight. That wasn't too long ago."

"I know. And, I'm better. Trust me."

"You sure? Maybe Andorians just patch up quick, but I don't believe you."

Tw'eak smiled. Truthfully, she felt herself on the verge of physical collapse, but she continued to carry herself as if nothing was wrong. "I admit, I could use a chance to sit down for a few minutes. Think I'll go grab some lunch in my quarters."

Faso nodded. "I'll get everything completely offline, pulled apart... let you know what I find out."

"Eighteen-hundred," Tw'eak said, turning towards the transporter room exit. "Shuttlebay."


	33. Chapter 33

Tw'eak hated shuttlebays. There was just something about them - as a place of transition, as a cavernous space, as a nest of shuttlecraft and other auxiliary craft - that she find deeply unsettling. Perhaps it was just the fact that, one force field away from them, the endless vacuum of space was ever-present. Perhaps it was that she just didn't handle open spaces with numerous lines of sight on her position very well. But she always had the same response to arriving in shuttlebays: tactical readiness. This response was probably heightened by her present responsibility for a murder investigation. The fact that she hadn't slept more than forty-five minutes on a day she was meant to be resting and healing didn't do much, either.

But her state of tactical readiness explained why, when Lieutenant M'Rann approached, Tw'eak's antennae were flared outwards, her step cautious, eyes flickering from one thing to another before meeting the lieutenant's gaze. "If you were one of my people, Commander, I'd be scared to say 'hello' to you."

Tw'eak acknowledged the flight deck officer with a nod. "Can't help it. But the shuttle is secure?"

M'Rann gestured in its direction. "Shuttlecraft _Neruda_, confined as securely as you left it." She smiled. "There's just something about the older Type 7s that makes me smile every time. They just look so... happy. Busy."

Never one for small talk, Tw'eak pointed at, then around, the shuttle. "No one's been over here?"

"Well, I had Chief Faso pop by earlier, and ask me to help him align a transporter relay to it later? Something like that."

Tw'eak nodded. "Something like that. But no one's touched it."

"No. I put a confinement field around it, too, just to be safe. Honestly, I felt bad."

"About the shuttle?"

"No, when the chief came down. That's the kind of thing I would've assigned to 'venk."

"You mean the ensign?"

"Yeah. We never called him 'venk to his face - well, I think Ensign Zosky did the one time. Weird thing was, he didn't really notice. He rarely ever noticed anything - socially, I mean."

"If you had to think about someone who would be likely to hold any sort of grudge or resentment, have any reason to go after him?"

The Caitian's ears flickered. "Honestly, most folks wouldn't even notice he was there. I've thought it over, a couple times, and the best I can do is six months ago - he and Zosky had a disagreement over a flux decoupler's location in the tool compartment on the maintenance deck, something like that. I just replicated a second flux decoupler - problem solved."

Tw'eak smiled. "That's very pragmatic of you."

"We all served together for seven years, down here. I never thought I'd see the day when we'd lose one of our own. At least if it'd been a shield cycle failure or something with one of the shuttles... I'd know who to blame. But this?"

"I know. I feel the same way." Tw'eak shrugged. "We'll figure it out - and then I think a lot of us will feel better. Myself included."

The door to the shuttlebay opened, and Lieutenant Baird came in, followed closely behind by Counselor Downie. While Baird came towards Tw'eak, Downie gave a quick nod, then moved towards the shuttle. "Commander," he said, acknowledging Tw'eak, then the lieutenant. "M'rann."

"Darren." M'rann's tail swished in a sign of welcome.

Baird held up a padd. "I've got... a few reports for you, actually."

The door opened again, admitting Chief Faso, who carried a maintenance kit and a couple of parts. "One at a time?" Tw'eak said with a smile.

The shuttle wasn't very big, so even without Chief Faso's tools and parts, it would've been crowded. However, the chief had opened up the ceiling panel, to install the portable relay. "This won't take long," he had said, and Tw'eak had delayed Baird's reporting for several minutes. Impatient, Tw'eak finally asked Baird, "What do you have?" She held up a hand. "Wait - Computer, begin recording and transcribing this discussion, authorization Sh'abbas Zeta 117."

The computer chirped in the affirmative as Baird moved around in order to present to Tw'eak, making eye contact rather than letting the Saurian at work between them obstruct her view of him. "Lieutenant Rau reports that the internal sensors were probably the work of a breaker device of some kind. The ODN junctions at the internal sensor stations had been manually cycled into maintenance mode, according to the logs."

"Manually," Downie considered. "You mean in person?"

"It could've been activated directly or remotely," Baird continued. "But it was definitely timed for our killer to strike. An outage in the internal sensors would've been corrected pretty quickly by the operations officer on the bridge - or a maintenance crew would've been sent to sort it out."

Tw'eak nodded. "And no doubt V'Sar would've spotted that right away."

"Maybe, but I checked, and Lieutenant Delano was on duty at that point. I asked him about it, and said the internal sensors were offline ship-wide for a couple minutes. He was trying to override it when Lieutenant Sagittori called. Apparently he was able to re-activate the sensors just on Deck Four at oh-four-fourteen, but that was it until oh-four-twenty-five, when a team from engineering went to Sensor Control and do a hard reset on the whole system."

"Lieutenant Sagittori got them working manually in the meantime, though?" Tw'eak asked. "But he was in the corridor."

"That's why he was able to - he overrode the internal sensors and brought them online using a command override, according to computer logs. That only affected that section of Deck Four, though. Those sensors briefly went off and came back on with the hard reset at oh-four-twenty-five, but that was it, they've been operational continuously ever since."

"I asked the lieutenant about his actions right after the ensign was killed," Downie interjected. "That's consistent with his story. He thought it might be helpful in detecting trace evidence at the scene while it was still fresh. As it was, it took too long for internal sensors to resume full operations, since a maintenance cycle takes a while to come back from, even in an emergency. They weren't able to get much before people with tricorders were present."

Tw'eak nodded. "Alright."

Chief Faso lowered himself to the ground. "Sorry," he said. "Just need to rest my arms for a minute. I hate ceiling work."

Tw'eak smiled. "Nice of you to drop in."

"I checked all the pattern buffers, like you asked. And you were right. The presence of the theta radiation triggered the bio-hazard filter - twice."

"Twice?" Downie asked.

"Yeah. The commander figured that whoever beamed away from Sagittori would've then also beamed out whatever they used to knock out the sensors and emit theta. The first beam-out, the theta was environmental. It wasn't in the second run. Those things were all beamed out into space right after."

"That was the other thing," Baird added. "Jenkins and the maintenance team did a manual tricorder sweep, looking for evidence of point-to-point transport in the decks. The only place any remnants or residue could be found was in sickbay, and they were consistent with when you returned to the ship, Commander."

"That would be an easy way to mask a point-to-point beam-out, by beaming to someplace you'd expect it."

Baird shook his head. "Doc Horsell was on duty in the sickbay last night, he says he would've known if anyone transported into sickbay - medical emergency or not."

Tw'eak ran a hand across her own cheek, stretching her wounded left side. "So where does that leave us?"

"It okay with the two of you if I conjecture for a minute?" Baird asked.

"Be my guest," Downie responded. "It might help crystallize this a bit."

With a nod from Tw'eak, Baird began. "I'm seeing this as a single assailant, probably humanoid. We can rule out the species that leave organic traces, like Caitians or Tellarites, and we can probably rule out anyone who says they were asleep - that's an easy one to check with internal sensors."

"If you have internal sensors to check," Faso corrected.

"Point," Baird conceded. "We can also presume that the murder weapon and whatever device was used to put the theta radiation down the corridor - those are probably not going to be recoverable."

"Can't we go back and look?" Downie offered. "If they're emitting theta radiation, we can narrow it down."

Tw'eak shook her head. "The background radiation from New Romulus would make it near-impossible - and theta radiation is a common emission from starship propulsion."

"Besides," Faso added, "looking for a single phaser in the whole range of possible transporter destinations? Transporters have considerable range. We'd have to search the planet, every ship within transporter range at the time of beam-out... no way we'd find it."

Grimacing, Tw'eak turned to another question. "Are we any closer to knowing why Mellivenk was targeted?"

Looking at his padd, Baird shook his head. "I've gone through Mellivenk's service record, his log entries, subspace comms usage, and his personal effects, just trying to find some reason, any reason whatsoever. I'd settle for a reason to suggest he was known to this killer, let alone targeted and killed like this. But I can't find anything."

"What about his people?" Downie asked. "Do the Marsanpi have any natural enemies?"

Baird looked to Tw'eak. "No idea."

Tw'eak furrowed her brow. "Even if they do, and I doubt they do... this was a shuttlecraft technician. If he was being short-listed for command, I could understand if there were some rivalry, some other species who felt aggrieved that 'one of theirs' beat them to the top of the ladder. It might be worth a closer look, when we have the time."

"I agree," Baird added. "It's really not a likely avenue. The number of people who knew this ship well enough to plan this kind of attack, and who even knew who Mellivenk's people were, has got to be pretty short indeed."

"Suppose, though, just for a second, that the assailant had Mellivenk's telepathic abilities," Downie conjectured. "They could read his mind, or any other mind of those onboard, and find out what they needed to know."

Faso looked confused. "I didn't think that was how it worked."

"That's because it's not," Tw'eak replied. "Besides which, if the assailant has any kind of telepathic ability, doesn't Mellivenk sense their presence?"

"He was just coming off-shift," Downie persisted. "And he was following regulations - so maybe he didn't scan ahead."

Tw'eak pointed up at her antennae. "Sensory perception doesn't really work like that. If telepathy works anything like these, they're more likely to pick up annoyances and signals when you're tired, not less."

"There's a lot of presumption involved in this discussion, though," Downie replied.

Faso held a hand out to Downie, to get her attention. "There is the matter of the theta radiation in the corridor."

Downie was confused. "How does that connect?"

"Well, just when Darren said - about how the killer would have to know how our ship runs, and know something about Mellivenk's people... that theta radiation was there intentionally."

"And we know Marsanpi physiology leads them to panic when exposed to radiation," Baird continued.

"Could we conduct a scan, ship-wide, for theta radiation in unusual places? Just... a bio-filter sweep?"

"You want to use the transporter system to scan the ship for theta radiation?" Tw'eak asked.

"It'd be easier with the main sensors, but let's pretend we're the killer. They'll expect that move - for us to use our access to get where we need to go. It might even trigger a response."

"So that's what we should do," Baird suggested. "Make them realize we're onto them, and flush them out."

"Maybe in a holo-novel," Faso replied, "but not this time. Look, whoever killed Mellivenk, they were wearing something, weren't they?"

Tw'eak nodded. "How did Sagittori describe the killer?" she asked Baird.

Baird looked to his padd. "Six foot plus, humanoid, all in black. Was definitely wearing gloves."

"No facial details?"

"No, ma'am. The figure was turned away at the time Sagittori noticed them. Beamed out with the phaser. And, as Faso said, they were then able to beam out the theta emitter, and whatever junction circuitry they put in position to break the sensor scan and mask their beam-out."

"But then what?" Faso asked. "I mean, it's my transporter room, I know there isn't much space in there - they either walk out wearing their theta-infused clothing or they beam that all out, too. That means they gotta change."

"You said there were only two bio-filter alerts," Tw'eak asked Faso.

"That's right."

"And the killer wouldn't have been able to beam out themselves to one place, while beaming their stuff out into space, in a single transporter activation."

Faso shook his head. "No way. Our transporters aren't that advanced yet. Confinement beams are annular - directional."

"Besides which," Baird replied, "Jenkins and the team did a wide-beam scan to look for point-to-point." He shrugged. "Found nothing."

Tw'eak pointed to Faso. "Let's pretend we're the killer, as the chief suggested earlier. We know they're going to look for beam-out patterns, point-to-point. So we beam in someplace where that sort of evidence is going to be erased - or isn't going to be found by a scanning team, unless they look closely."

"So where did they go?"

Tw'eak leaned back and thought about it. She closed her eyes for a moment and briefly visualized the deck-by-deck multi-function display of the starship Repulse. The main bridge, shuttlebay, engineering deck and sickbay were all large spaces, but both were under constant observation. The ship's gymnasium, the arboretum, and the crew lounges were not under constant observation, but someone beaming into one of those places would stand out. The same was probably true of the other large spaces, such as the cargo bays, holodecks and -

"The holodeck," Tw'eak concluded.

Faso laughed. "Unwinding after a hard day murdering crew?"

"No. Think about it. There are exactly three places onboard where we convert matter to energy - replicators, whether for food or other stores, in the transporter pads, and on the holodeck."

"On the holodeck," Faso said in time with Tw'eak. He snapped his fingers. "We can scan for theta radiation - see if it's for real."

"I'll go you one better," Downie continued. "I've used the holodeck for therapeutic purposes - what we call 'projection holo-therapy', putting people in tightly-controlled simulations to help them understand their trauma better, that sort of thing." She gestured towards Tw'eak. "But I also know that holodeck usage is monitored by the computer, to prevent unauthorized use of existing crew members. So if someone has a problem with you, Commander, I can't just call up a holographic duplicate and let them take it out on you."

"That's a relief," Tw'eak quipped.

"But that means the holodeck's internal sensors would be scanning for that information. If someone used the holodeck for criminal purposes, it'd be logged. And so would they." Downie smiled. "Give me five minutes with the holodeck's internal memory and I can reproduce the whole event."

"You can do that?" Baird asked.

"Yeah. Sometimes it's helpful - say you've just had a confrontation with a holographic bully from your past. I can, with my patient's permission, pull them out of the scenario by reproducing their appearance and actions while they were in the confrontation - a sort of 'step outside yourself' activity. It can be very helpful in showing them what they might not be conscious of having done."

Tw'eak smiled. "And we'd better hope the killer isn't conscious of what we're about to do," she said. "Baird, go down to engineering - go in person, no comms. Assume they're being monitored. Bring Lieutenant Rau to the holodeck, if you will. The chief and the counselor and I will meet you there."

"Got it," Baird said, before rising from his seat and leaving.

Tw'eak waited for Baird to clear the hatch, and its door to close, before she turned back to Faso. "Can we tell which holodecks were in operation at the time of the transporter activity?"

"Oh, easily. It'll be right in the activity log. If that's been erased, we'll still have the power usage monitor in main engineering that we can check. Whichever holodeck was in use at the time, we'll know."

"And we have how many?"

"I think it's four?" Faso asked, more of Downie than of Tw'eak.

"Four," Downie replied. "Indeed."

"Let's start looking there next, then," Tw'eak said, "and hope that it gets us somewhere."

"It's as good a lead as we've got," Faso commented.

"And that's not saying much," Tw'eak replied, standing up. "Computer, save recording and end - encrypt all information transcribed, authorization Sh'abbas Alpha 117." She was at the shuttle's main hatch within moments. "Let's go."


	34. Chapter 34

From inside the archway of Holodeck Three, Chief Faso and Counselor Gwen Downie emerged after a few minutes. "Bad news," Faso said to Tw'eak. "They got everything."

Tw'eak, who had remained outside the holodeck, keeping an eye out for Lieutenants Baird and Rau, was unsurprised. "What do you mean?"

"I mean it's here, there's no good reason why there should be residual traces of theta radiation in the holo-buffer. They have bio-filters, too."

"But the logs are gone," Downie continued. "So is all the data - from the past day or so."

Tw'eak gritted her teeth. "Very thorough," she said, displeased.

"I mean, good news is, your instincts were correct, Commander - this was the place." Faso looked around at the black-and-yellow holodeck interior. "But whoever was here... they don't want us to know who they were. And given what they did? Big surprise."

Tw'eak nodded, then turned at the sight of Baird and Rau emerging from the nearest turbolift. "Hey, if you want, I can put up a separate relay, y'know," Rau said as soon as she saw Tw'eak. "Do separate comms, the whole bit."

"I appreciate the suggestion, but we're not at that point yet."

Rau looked to Baird. "I thought you said we were?"

"The commander's not as paranoid as I am."

"Yeah, just 'cause you have things like 'a family to go home to' and stuff, eh, Darren?"

Baird smiled, swiftly, before clearing his throat. "Yeah."

Rau looked to Faso. "Hey, Chief - you always bring your tools with you?"

Faso smiled. "It's why they call me Chief."

"Actually, the chief's here at our request," Downie continued. "Some of our earlier inquiries involved the use of the transporter, so who better to have along?"

"I didn't expect you and the boss to work together," Rau said to Downie. "But then, after what I saw happened to her on that Borg mission, I don't know how she's put back together so fast."

Tw'eak forced a smile. She was getting pretty tired. And learning that she had been right, only to have the data not be there where she needed it, was tearing her apart. To be this close, and not get the answers, was a profound disappointment. "I don't quit," she said quietly.

"Yeah. So this is where the killer vanished," Rau said in exaggerated ominous tones. "Vanished," she said again, her voice lowering, "into the dead of night."

"You've been spending too much time in here on cheesy holo-novels," Faso chided.

"Can you blame me? It's all the entertainment I can get now that the boss canceled my usual show." Rau gave Tw'eak a sarcastic grin. "Nobody arguing, no relationship drama, nobody even brawling anymore. Peace and quiet - I can't stand it."

"Let's just see what you can find out," Tw'eak said, gesturing to the archway.

Rau stepped inside. She pressed a few buttons, then her mirth evaporated. "Yeah," she said after a moment, then added, "damn." She stepped back and pointed at the archway. "This is - this is thorough. I'm not even getting traces of the stuff that should be here." She took a deep breath and added, "hmm."

Baird took a pace forward. "It might help if you explained what you're thinking, Dyra. No one else here is telepathic."

"Shut up and let me think," Rau snapped. She looked back at the archway, then directly at Tw'eak. "This is sophisticated. Like, algorithms and subroutines. No way someone just casually came along and did this - they had to want to be this thorough."

"Of course they did," Downie replied.

"Like, they even got into the facial recognition and authorized usage sub-systems. This - someone had a program ready to go."

Tw'eak looked around. "The internal sensors on this deck - this is Deck Six, not Deck Four."

"I'll check," Rau said, running a quick set of inputs through the archway. "Yeah, they - big surprise. Offline, right around the time the other ones were on Deck Four."

"So the killer would've needed to use a device for that," Downie said, "like on Deck Four?"

"Nah, probably not," Rau replied. "Plus those sensors were offline until oh-four-twenty-something all over the ship."

Baird looked at his padd. "That means our killer walked away from right here."

Tw'eak frowned. "So that's it, then." She straightened her uniform tunic. "Alright. I'll take my report on this to the captain, let him know... with luck, something will turn up. In the meantime, this whole investigation is not to be discussed with anyone until I tell you otherwise."

There were a succession of nods. "What do we do now, though?" Rau asked.

"Well, organizing a memorial service for Mellivenk would be appropriate," Downie replied.

"We should probably hold one for the others we've lost recently," Tw'eak added. "Lieutenant Raxx, for instance."

There was an uncomfortable shifting about from the junior officers, before Counselor Downie met Tw'eak's eye with her most sympathetic smile. "We already have, Commander, during your convalescence."

"I - oh." Tw'eak felt her antennae curdling inwards. "Thank you for advising me."

"If anything, I think we all appreciate how you didn't hesitate in making the suggestion, all the same."

The counselor's use of her professional tone of voice irked Tw'eak. She saw what Downie was doing, but wasn't fond of it. "Actually, boss," Rau said, "I'm really glad you remembered. We - Raxx's memorial, lots of people were thinking about you. Almost as much as Raxx."

Baird nodded. "Just glad you're still around," he added.

Tw'eak didn't know how to respond. "I - thank you," she stammered. "Right. Let's get back to work. Notify your departments - report anything suspicious, right away. I want to know the moment we get another lead on this. This isn't over yet. One way or another, this killer will trip themselves up before long."

"Or strike again," Faso volunteered.

"It'll be a lot harder to escape if they do," Tw'eak replied. "We've closed off every point of access we can think of, here, to prevent a recurrence." She felt herself momentarily become dizzy. Retaining control of herself became her priority for a brief instance, but just long enough a few seconds to make all four of her officers sincerely frightened.

"Hey, boss," Rau said after a moment, as Tw'eak brought her back into focus. "You should go lay down."

"She's right," Baird affirmed. "I can bring this report to the captain."

"I'll come with you," Downie added, with a nod to Baird. She then looked to Tw'eak. "And I'll come by and see you in a bit."

Tw'eak gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Alright. It's, what, nineteen-hundred by now..."

"Nineteen-twenty-seven," Rau replied. She pointed to the archway. "Says so right there."

"Okay. I'm going to go up to the bridge for a minute, then call it a night. If anything major develops, come find me."

"I'll come by tomorrow morning to check on you," Downie replied.

"Actually, doc," Rau interrupted. "I was gonna ask you if you had a minute, tomorrow morning. Just a short one. I keep getting those - things, like before." Her eyes darted from Baird, to Faso, to Tw'eak, and back to Baird. "Just things. No big thing - uh, things."

Downie's professional smile returned. "I'll find room in the schedule and let you know." She turned to Baird. "Shall we?"

Faso caught sight of Tw'eak about to lean against a bulkhead. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Tw'eak replied. "Just a bit tired. Why?"

"Just checking. Anyway, I better get back to my transporter room. Got a lot of nobody to beam aboard."

Tw'eak blinked, coming to a stop. "You do realize the reason for that, right?"

Faso gave her a meaningful look.

"Just checking," Tw'eak said with a smile.

"Half the reason I wanna solve this thing... so I can have my job back," Faso said with a laugh. He gave Tw'eak a nod, and turned to walk away, leaving her to lumber down the corridor, hopeful to avoid any further questions as to her well-being.

* * *

The bridge was quiet, as one might expect with the ship in a holding position in the middle of nowhere. Tw'eak gave a quick hello to Lieutenant Delano at tactical, while stepping beside the omnipresent Lieutenant Commander V'Sar. The conn, science, engineering and other aft stations were all inactive. Tw'eak looked over to Delano. "Hey, Lieutenant, give us a minute, will you?"

"Sure, Commander." Delano tapped his console. "I've re-routed to ops. Could use a coffee anyway."

Tw'eak watched Delano move into the conference room before smiling at V'Sar. "How are you?"

"All systems are nominal, Commander. We are stationary as ordered."

"That's not what I asked."

V'Sar looked to the forward viewscreen. "Inquiries as to how I am are illogical. I am at my duty station, therefore, I am sufficiently competent to perform my duties as required."

"I know I've asked a lot of you lately, and I'm sorry."

This caught V'Sar's attention. "To apologize for requesting that I perform my duties is further illogical. Perhaps the better question in these circumstances would be to ask, 'how are you?'."

Tw'eak shook her head. "You know, I wish I could answer you. I don't know."

"To know oneself is considered the central tenet of a variety of philosophies."

"Oh, I know. And usually, I do, but I've never been aboard a starship where there's been a murder before. And I'm heading the investigation, which I've obviously also never done before." Tw'eak looked forward, towards the captain's ready room. "And I'm not getting a whole lot of support here."

"An absent support system from higher ranks has been an ongoing issue with this command since I first came aboard. I am grateful that your presence here seems to be working to alleviate that issue."

Tw'eak blinked, smiling at V'Sar. "Thank you for the compliment."

"Merely an observation - though not one I would want to share if Captain Corlett were listening."

"Just between you and me... he's an odd one, isn't he?"

V'Sar contemplated for a moment. "His ...passive style of command and dissertative tendencies while in command are not typical of Starfleet captains. In certain circumstances, they can be advantageous, such as in diplomatic or scientific pursuits."

"Yeah, but this is an escort vessel - it's not really built for either of those things."

The Vulcan operations officer nodded contemplatively. "Indeed."

"I guess... you've served under Captain Corlett longer than just about anyone else onboard. I'd appreciate your opinion, because I really don't know how to proceed. Now, I could try to bring him in for each detail of the developments, but he's not really a detail-oriented kind of guy."

"I would disagree. The captain's own interests typically need to align with the subject in order for him to take interest in the details. As was the case during our recent encounter with the Borg technology aboard-" V'Sar came to a halt, realizing that to speak the starship _Kolibri_'s name would be a violation of their orders.

"Yes, that recent encounter," Tw'eak replied knowingly. "I know exactly what you mean."

"If I were to infer, I would presume that the captain would be most comfortable entrusting the investigation to you, as he has with drill scheduling and crew evaluations."

"You mean that's not just to keep me busy?"

V'Sar paused for a moment. "I had not considered that possibility. However, given the nature of the investigation, and the non-zero chance of a further criminal act being perpetuated onboard, in your position I would consider the captain's broad leeway towards your role in leading the investigation to be an affirmation."

"So he does trust me," Tw'eak replied.

"In a sense, at least as far as the matter at hand requires."

Tw'eak nodded, silent for a second, before asking, "you really think of it as a 'non-zero chance' that this killer might strike again?"

"It is only logical - and not a reflection on your skills in finding the murderer. There is also a non-zero chance that the murderer might no longer be on board."

"Actually, the..." The first thing Tw'eak began to say was something she quickly realized was still not known outside of the investigation. After all, it took someone with considerable knowledge of the ship's systems to pull off this murder - and while V'Sar was probably not a cold-blooded killer, Tw'eak realized she needed to buffer V'Sar from the current matters in the investigation. She changed tack in her comments. "I was going to say, the thing I need most is a minimum of other concerns to worry about."

"Such as operational concerns?" V'Sar inferred.

"The very same. I know the ship's in good hands with you in charge - and the captain is, nominally, on the bridge most of the time."

"Insofar as he is present upon Deck One of this starship, you are correct."

Tw'eak searched V'Sar's face for some sign of that having been a joke, but the Vulcan was inscrutable as ever. "I want you - or whoever is on shift - to pay close attention to the internal sensors. If you notice any part of the ship, however small, is no longer readable, then I need to know about it, immediately."

"I will advise the other rotations of this as they come on shift."

"Good. Keep the shields up, just enough power to prevent transporter activity on or off the ship. Another thing - any unauthorized transmissions need to be reported to me as well."

"Should we monitor crew access to subspace communications?"

Tw'eak considered for a moment. "No, that won't be necessary. I don't think we can spare the manpower - and besides, I don't really want to give people anything else to become angry about. It's bad enough idling out in space like this. We'll be locking out the holodecks for a couple days as part of the investigation, so the last thing I want is to take away people's ability to get in touch with their loved ones, as well."

"A sensible precaution. It would also be most prudent to uphold privacy protections unless reasonable suspicion should arise. Towards that end, I will input an automated monitor algorithm with regards to the basic aspects of subspace transmissions - senders and recipients, duration of communication, and transfer of data. Should anything suspicious arise, I will advise you."

"That's a good idea. I'm trying to figure out if we've got any other ground to cover that I haven't thought of yet."

V'Sar indicated her console. "All transporters aboard the ship are offline until further notice. Lieutenant M'Rann has advised me that all shuttlecraft are locked down for similar reasons. I had intended to ask whether you felt a ship-wide security alert might be appropriate at the present time."

"Hmm." Tw'eak mulled it over - having extra security might be helpful if someone was sneaking around and vapourizing crew members, but then, it also meant their investigation would be able to rely on fewer security personnel - and those that were available would be working around the clock. "For right now, I think we leave it as is, and hopefully we get some answers by morning."

"Understood. As discussed, I will advise all shifts of your instructions."

"Mostly I just want to know if anything happens that's out of the ordinary - that works to a killer's advantage. If we're going to find them, we'll need to be one step ahead of them."

V'Sar nodded. "And so we shall," she replied.

Tw'eak patted the Vulcan on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're keeping everything together up here, V'Sar. Hopefully we'll get this all concluded soon, and with no further incidents. But let me know the second anything unusual arises. That'll be all. Thank you."

"Certainly." V'Sar returned her attention to her console, unflappable as ever.

Tw'eak stepped back into the turbolift, ready to collapse. "Deck three," she instructed, and the turbolift carried her to her quarters.


	35. Chapter 35

Upon returning to her quarters, Tw'eak fell asleep pretty quickly, all things considered. It wasn't like her to fall asleep so soon after a meal, but the replicated food was decent for once. Tw'eak considered, upon returning her empty dishes to the replicator, that maybe it was simply that she was that hungry. Andorians tended to run their metabolisms on the high side, and Tw'eak was no exception. Couple that with the fact of her recovering injuries and it made a lot of sense. Or at least, it would have, if she had been able to concentrate on the matter for long. She felt the need for sleep weighing on her, as if the gravitational field in her quarters had trebled, and gave into the sensation, pulling up a blanket and nodding off.

She awoke the next morning to the sound of her door chime. Sitting up took effort. So did standing. Tw'eak cursed, as she straightened and stretched. Even her antennae felt stiff. "Computer, time?"

"Ship's time is currently oh-six forty-seven," came the reply.

So at least it wasn't her perception - whoever it was, they were calling early. It then occurred to Tw'eak that she had fallen asleep with her uniform pants and undershirt still on. This made it an easy matter to slip on her jacket and answer the door, though it still felt like everything was happening in slow motion.

"Enter," she said as the door chimed again, her jacket securely fastened.

The door opened, and Counselor Gwen Downie appeared on the other side. "I know it's early, I'm sorry if I woke you."

"It's alright," Tw'eak said, clearing her throat. "I was up anyway."

"I can see that. May I come in?"

"Please." Tw'eak gave an ushering gesture to the table next to the replicator. "It's not often I get such a good night's rest."

"Just what I hoped would happen!" Downie said as she sat down, clapping her hands together in a pleased manner. "I'm so glad you were able to rest."

Tw'eak took two steps towards Downie, her tone less fond. "Are you here about the investigation?" she asked.

"No, I just thought I'd check in, before the day begins, see how you're feeling."

"So it's for professional reasons," Tw'eak corrected.

"One of the many disadvantages of my position onboard is that people don't know when I'm being sociable. I almost wish I could wear a hat or a uniform that lights up when I'm in 'counselor' mode, so that nobody thinks less of me for actually caring."

The sudden, and strangely cheery, way in which Downie delivered this admonition took Tw'eak aback. "I apologize."

"Don't be - it happens all the time."

Tw'eak made a conciliatory gesture towards the replicator. "Can I get you a drink, perhaps?"

"I wouldn't mind, if you are."

Tw'eak nodded, instructing the replicator. "A Vulcan spice tea, and..." She glanced to Downie.

"Coffee, double sweet, with cream."

The replicator whirred, producing two mugs full of hot liquid on saucers. Tw'eak handed one to Downie. "I've been thinking, about all of this," Tw'eak began.

"Oh?" Downie took a sip of her coffee. "About what, exactly?"

"You, specifically. I hadn't said ten words to you, the whole time I've been onboard, and now here we are again."

"It's perfectly understandable, of course, Commander. You needed time when you first came aboard to establish routines, and patterns of behaviour. Besides, I can tell when my particular services are being avoided."

Tw'eak winced. "I wouldn't say 'avoided'."

"No, but I understand it. There's still that perception, especially among certain members of the Federation, that accessing therapeutic counseling services is a sign of weakness, of a bad leader. I have to accept it as the price of doing business, that sometimes my... customers are reluctant to take advantage of my presence aboard."

"I don't know if it's as simple as that."

"Even if it wasn't," Downie said with a smile, "I'd say we've more than made up for lost time, haven't you?"

Tw'eak let herself laugh in response to this, and found that, despite her misgivings (which were exactly what Downie described, even if Tw'eak couldn't admit it to herself), she found the counselor to be engaging company.

"Though I have to admit, there are certain members of the crew I find myself really not enjoying having around."

Tw'eak raised an eyebrow. "It seems like everyone has a grudge against someone else on this ship."

"Oh, it's nothing like that." Downie flashed her smile again. "Lieutenant Baird... there's just something about him. So tall, and he has that way about him, like you just want him to sweep you into his arms." Downie's face suddenly fell. "Although I must apologize for the image - given that he, quite literally, had to do that for you."

Tw'eak wrinkled her nose slightly. "It's okay, I don't remember that happening." She smirked at Downie. "Hopefully you're not jealous of me."

"Oh, not at all!" Downie took another sip of coffee. "It's his wife I'm jealous of - although I don't know who I feel for more, her for being so far away from him, or me, to know that he's married." She shook her head. "I don't know why, but none of the rest of them do anything for me."

"You don't have anyone?" Tw'eak asked.

"No, always alone. It's what they say, you know - logistics officers have the messiest closets, helm officers have the worst sense of direction, away from the conn, anyway... and counselors have the saddest love lives."

Tw'eak nodded. "It's the price of rank, too."

"I admit, I was a bit surprised - but it made sense once I read a little further in your medical history. That must be incredibly hard for you, not to have a bond group."

"You can't miss what you never had," Tw'eak said, forcing a breezy tone. "Or never had a chance of having."

"I admit, I'm a bit confused by it. I know that Andorians have the relatively unique ability to have a sex life that's completely separate from their reproduction, but in your case..."

"I get to have neither, as it stands." Tw'eak quipped. "Just lucky that way."

Downie laughed, a giggly sort of hiccup, and nodded appreciatively. "Not what I meant, but yes, there we have it." She offered Tw'eak another of her broad, warm smiles. "As I said, I can imagine how that must have isolated you from other Andorians."

Tw'eak gave another smirk. "Oh, that isolation was voluntary."

Downie gave another giggle at this. "Oh, you've quite a wit, I can appreciate that."

"My upbringing was very traditional. With the exception of that. I was the oldest. I watched all six of my siblings join their bond groups, over the years. Most of them won't be coming home now." She shook her head. "That makes me feel more isolated than anything else, really. I've lost a few parts of myself over the years, literally and otherwise, but I'm alive. And nearly everyone else I knew, grew up with..." She shook her head sadly, her antennae tilting forwards in grief. "I can't tell you how many people I've lost - good people, not just my family, not just Andorians, but people from all over, people I've served with, who have died in this war, or some other manner. It's too easy for me to lose the people I'd rather not. I'd trade places with any one of them."

"Is that because you feel they could do this better than you could?"

Tw'eak gave a sad chuckle. "Just about anyone could."

"I don't agree with that, and neither does this crew."

"This crew..." Tw'eak shook her head. "Minus one, now."

"I wouldn't go blaming yourself for that, too. We weren't even aboard at the time."

"No, but someone was. Someone who killed one of my subordinates. And it hurts, to have to live with that, to know that if I - I don't know, if I'd been on the bridge at the time, maybe I would've noticed the internal sensors were offline."

Downie nodded. "This is all very common, you know - 'survivor's guilt'. Those who were affected by a loss - in this case, a murder - try to rationalize, seek solace in explaining to themselves how it happened, what might have been done differently... if only."

"Isn't that the purpose of an investigation?"

"Yes, but it's also why the aggrieved make the worst investigators. We both need to be as strong and as objective as Vulcans in this matter."

"I know, I'm just..." Tw'eak looked for the words for a moment. "I'm tired of death. It's just ...I really wish there was some way to guarantee that no one further would die or get hurt, to lower the risk factors just a bit, for just long enough to change things."

"What kind of things?" Downie asked.

"Just... morale. It pains me to know that Mellivenk died on a ship where he wasn't happy serving. It pains me to know how many more unhappy crew members are aboard - unhappy for a thousand different reasons. I've tried to change some of those reasons, for the better, but I'm not sure it's going to work."

"I can tell you that it is, so far, working. But I'd also like to know what else you'd like to see done better."

Tw'eak looked down at her disappointing cup of spice tea. "Well, these replicators, for a start. The food and drink is adequate, but not really... good. It's an important thing. And the social spaces aboard are all so sterile."

"They have to be sterile - food's being served in those spaces."

"Not germs - sterile in atmosphere. I'd... I'd love to see a little more variation. So I can distinguish between the Deck Three mess and the Deck Seven mess, if I want. Or maybe throw open an invitation - music, performances, whatever they like. Give people a chance to show off their talents, if they're willing."

"Those sound like good ideas. Not the first time I've heard them suggested."

"Then why not pass those suggestions on to me?"

Downie smiled. "I was waiting for you to come to me, first. The last thing I would've wanted was for you to misinterpret my suggestions as being insisted upon, like I was spokesperson for an angry mob. I also didn't know you well enough to know if you'd welcome my input. But, as you said before, here we are now."

Tw'eak nodded. "So what else have you heard discussed?"

"Well, aside from the ones you mentioned, one of the ensigns recommended a sort of ship-wide league in various sports, like Parrises squares or Velocity. Or tournaments organized around three-dimensional chess or Stratagema."

Tw'eak liked the sound of that. "That's perfect. Friendly competition."

"One suggestion was to hold an art show, but I think that might be a little bit further down the line." Downie took a drink of her coffee.

Tw'eak smiled. "I like that idea. I might have to put together something."

"You paint?"

"Plasmonic sculpture," Tw'eak replied. "Something I learned on Vulcan."

"Of course - now I remember. You were also in musical theatre, in the Academy, were you not? Maybe we could put on a show."

"No - that... I mean, yes, a show, but please leave me out of it." Tw'eak raised a hand as if to stop an impact. "I'd much rather forget I was ever involved in that."

Downie smiled. "I think we all have things we'd rather never have done, never been involved with. I completely understand."

"Yeah. That's mine." She gave a quick smile. "There were a few people from that time I'd rather never have been involved with, too, but that's another story."

"Oh, very true, very true!" Downie nodded, her eyes vacant. "Although to be honest, I have more I'd rather have been involved with, than not."

"There is that," Tw'eak replied. "Commander Torgrove, from the _Tecumseh_. Completely missed my chance."

"You worked more closely with him than anyone else. He was interested?"

"I don't know if it matters - he's dead. I wonder - if I'd led the away mission, on the planet the Undine destroyed, maybe he would have made it out."

"Or maybe not. After all, the captain came home - maybe you wouldn't have." Downie shrugged, her eyes bright. "We'll never know."

"Yeah." Tw'eak felt a pang of remorse for Torgrove, and all those they had lost. "You know, it's funny, but - at the time, I was certain, absolutely certain, that Lieutenant Sonvak had been killed. I was monitoring the away teams on the bridge. He was dead. But then, when we were on the _Tecumseh_, you and I, just yesterday... there he was."

Downie finished her coffee. "Was he the tall Vulcan, kind of serious-looking?"

"He's a Vulcan," Tw'eak deadpanned. "They're all serious-looking."

"But the one on the bridge, I mean, with the intense face?"

"Yes, he's the security officer, and now the acting first officer." She gave Downie a curious look. "What'd you make of Captain Collins?"

"She seemed fine, very capable, professional... but sad, somehow. Now that I know she so recently lost her first officer, that makes sense. I'll have to see who _Tecumseh_ has for a counselor. Someone ought to check in with her."

"She's going to be looking for a new first officer, you know," Tw'eak added.

"Are you - what does that mean?"

Tw'eak gave a little shrug. "Captain Collins hinted pretty strongly - remember? - that she wanted the 'right' kind of first officer. I had a feeling she had someone particular in mind."

"You mean - you _do_ mean yourself." Downie shook her head. "Oh, no. The Commander Sh'abbas I know would scratch herself out of consideration right away."

"You're right. But still, if she's that keen on me, maybe I should consider taking her up on it."

"I think you'd be best to defer that decision until our investigation's completed."

"Oh, of course." Tw'eak put the barely-touched Vulcan spice tea back in the replicator, along with Downie's empty cup. "But it's going to become another one of those things that never gets resolved, at least, in my head. I can tell."

"How so?"

"Well, if I accept, move to the _Tecumseh_, then I leave unfinished business here, but move to a ship with a completely different mission, and with a captain and a crew who are... more my sort of officers, can I say?"

"That's charitable of you," Downie joked.

"Present company excepted, of course. But suppose I decline the offer. That means nothing changes. I'll still be under Captain Corlett's command, still have a lot of work to do here."

"Work that might be more suited to your particular training and skills, though." Downie gestured vaguely in the direction of the door. "I've heard several times from people how your presence on the bridge makes a difference to them."

"And it's the kind of difference I want to make here, for good, and not just for as long as I'm here. I don't like the idea of walking away from a job before it's done. Though, with the way life works aboard a starship, there's always something."

"Very true," Downie said with a smile. "So that's how 'it becomes one of those things'."

"Yeah. I get to have regrets, either way. What I should've done, what I shouldn't have done." Tw'eak shrugged. "I'd get those anyway. It's something they talked about in the command course - how once the decision's taken, even if it's a decision to not do anything, it has to stand as a decision that's made, and be accepted. Only revisit the decision if new information presents itself."

"You make a lot of decisions - crucial ones - when you're in command."

"They're also usually a bit more clear-cut, too," Tw'eak continued. "There are so many unknowns involved in any scenario - but a good crew helps you sort out the unknowns and put facts together. Dealing with other people, as crewmates - subordinate or otherwise - isn't something you really know, and I may, I don't know, come to have a total lack of confidence in Captain Collins. What then?"

"It seems more likely that the captain you lack confidence in is the one you're serving currently."

Tw'eak shook her head, pursing her lips. "Well, you're not wrong. How did he take the report you gave him?"

"It was like he was..." Downie stared off into the distance. "I don't know. I mean, I hope you don't mind me speaking up on this point."

"Not at all. I'm not going to go run and tell him."

Downie smiled. "You're not in any condition to run anywhere."

"Which is too bad - my legs are starting to feel it. I've been idle too long. I usually take a run to clear my head in the mornings, find a way to fit a few workouts into my week, but I haven't been able to for the past week, and it's starting to feel like it."

"Still, running requires a lot of movement, core strength, tension, things you're not going to be ready for yet."

"Can we get back to what you were about to say?" Tw'eak said sarcastically.

"Well, I was going to say that, in a situation like this, where junior crew members - not just the ones that come to me, either - are going to be apprehensive, even scared. You know how the rumour mill gets started on this ship, and with a murder to gossip about, there just... needs to be more of a direct presence. Not from you - from him. It's his ship. He should be the one offering reassurance and calming people down. Not only because it frees you up from doing that, and lets people see that you're investigating the matter."

"Did you tell him any of that?"

"I tried to, but he didn't seem to see my point. It's not the first time that's happened, but this time felt... more dismissive." Downie looked down at her hands. "Maybe it's just that we've never dealt with something like this before onboard, but I really wish I could get through to him, and ask him for more of a ...presence among the crew."

"I've seen how he interacts with them," Tw'eak quipped. "You may regret that."

"And that's another thing," Downie went on. "Isn't there a requirement - I mean, you do it all the time, showing concern for your people, for their well-being."

"I try to, but then, I do that because I've had senior officers who didn't care - and didn't care for it." Tw'eak shrugged. "Captain's going to be who he is." She shook her head and chuckled. "Damn. Look at us, like a couple of junior ranks, complaining about the captain."

"I'd say it's a bit of a different matter when we do it," Downie replied. "Still, it is nice to have someone who I don't have to worry about talking to about all this."

"And I'd say it's nice to have someone who's willing to listen," Tw'eak said, smiling. "I want you to know that I've appreciated everything you've done for me, in helping me recover from this. I've also been very glad to have you along during all this investigation work."

"See? That's what I'm talking about," Downie joked. "Genuine concern - and appreciation. How do you get it, and the captain doesn't?"

"That's for him to explain. Maybe I'm just overcompensating."

Tw'eak's commbadge chirped to life. "Baird to Sh'abbas. Come in, please."

Downie raised both eyebrows. Tw'eak's antennae stood on end. The lieutenant's tone sounded intense, full of concern. The mood changed between them, sharply. Tw'eak tapped her commbadge. "Sh'abbas here."

"Commander, I'm going to need you and Counselor Downie to meet me on Deck Five, Section 12."

Tw'eak looked at Downie. "The counselor's with me presently, Lieutenant. We'll be right down. Is anything the matter?"

"Yes - of the sort you've asked we not discuss on comms."

Tw'eak took Baird's coded meaning - the investigation. "You're up early to continue working on that."

"Not 'continue', ma'am," Baird said solemnly. "There's been a second incident."

Downie's eyes widened in alarm, and she and Tw'eak stared at each other intently. "We'll be right down," Tw'eak said, closing her eyes in a pained expression. "Sh'abbas out."


	36. Chapter 36

Tw'eak and Counselor Gwen Downie arrived in Section 12 of Deck Five and found Lieutenant Commander Salvatore Benso pacing back and forth. "Oh, thank God," Benso said, exasperated. "Darren said he'd called you guys. This is awful!"

"Calm down," the counselor said. "What's all this about?"

"You mean he didn't tell you?" He looked to Tw'eak. "You know, right?"

Tw'eak raised a hand. "Hold on, Benso. That was my call. I told Lieutenant Baird not to give me any information about our investigation over the comms. He did tell us that there was a second incident."

"Yeah," Benso said, his eyes beading with tears. "It's Dyra."

Tw'eak and Downie looked at each other, then Tw'eak returned to Benso. "Lieutenant Rau?"

"Yeah - she's dead!" Benso sobbed.

Lieutenant Baird emerged from the adjacent crew quarters. "Commander," he said, "in here, please."

Tw'eak, Benso and Downie followed Baird into a set of crew quarters. The interior was tastefully furnished with glass sculptures and a few random flowers sprouting from varying shapes of vases and planters. "Tell me what's happened," Tw'eak said as the door closed.

"Commander Benso signalled me when he couldn't get an answer from Lieutenant Rau's comms."

"That was after she didn't show for her shift," Benso added.

"When was this?"

"Oh-six-hundred." Agitated, Benso shook her head. "That's - that's not Dyra. She always comes in right on - or early."

Tw'eak nodded, deep in thought. "Continue."

"I used my security override after she didn't answer the door." He gestured to the adjacent washroom. "I took a look around, and that's when I found her."

"When, Lieutenant?" Tw'eak insisted. "Be precise."

"Right around oh-six-forty-five or so?" Baird looked to Benso.

"Yeah." Benso shrugged. "I let it go for half an hour. It didn't seem like a big deal. If she was behind for a reason, she'd tell me. Hell, she'd tell everyone. It's Dyra. But this?"

Downie took a step towards Benso. "How far into these quarters have you been, Commander? I mean, since the lieutenant discovered her."

"There's no way that I'm going in there," Benso demanded. "Nuh-uh. No way. I just came down here to check on Darren, and here he was."

Tw'eak looked to Lieutenant Baird. "But why?"

"It - I..." Baird shook his head. "I'm sorry, Commander, but Lieutenant Rau and I, we served together for six years. The sight of her - it just killed me." Baird waved a hand. "I'm sorry, that's awful - I wasn't trying to make a joke."

"It's okay, Lieutenant," Downie said calmly. "We understand. Just tell us what happened."

"Well, I - once I saw it was her, I went out in the corridor... pretty quickly. I almost ran over Ensign Jenkins."

"And Jenky called me," Benso said, "because Darren scared the shit out of him. So he told me what happened, and yeah. We just - he came back in and called you just after."

"So no one's been in there except for you," Tw'eak inferred.

"And I ain't goin' anywhere near it," Benso said, turning towards the door. "Look, Darren, I'll see you later, okay? I gotta go figure out how to tell my guys about this."

"Should he do that?" Downie asked Tw'eak.

"I don't see why not." She looked to Benso. "The lieutenant was an important part of your team. We should honour that. It's what she deserves. But I want you to ask your people to ensure that this isn't open for discussion, or speculation, until we release our findings - both with this, and with Ensign Mellivenk. If we're going to find this killer, we need to do this right."

"I know you will." Benso clapped Baird on the shoulder. "This guy wouldn't settle for anything less. She loved you, man. And she loved you, Commander." Benso's eyes radiated with sincerity towards Tw'eak. "You were like a dream come true to her."

Tw'eak tried not to let the praise overwhelm her - especially not praise she had difficulty accepting. Rau had always been a difficult one for her to read, but to discover her to have been a secret admirer, in the professional sense, reminded Tw'eak of how little she had esteemed Rau's unprofessional and uncouth manner. "I hope I can live up to her image of me, especially in this matter."

"We'll get 'em, Sal," Baird said quietly.

"And we'll call you if we need anything." Tw'eak gave Benso a nod. "Thanks."

Benso took a last look at the three officers, and made his way out. "He's really shaken up," Baird said after a moment.

"How about you?" Downie asked. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"Not just - not yet." Baird gave Downie an appreciative look. "I may take you up on that later."

"Of course."

"It's just... I kinda gotta make this report." He looked to Tw'eak. "We should get on with it."

Tw'eak nodded. "Has anyone from medical been down here yet?"

"Not yet." Baird looked to Downie. "I was hoping the counselor could cover that."

"I can, if you have a tricorder I can use."

Baird reached over, where a tricorder rested on a table. "Medical tricorder. I got it from the equipment room just down the hall. It was... where I was going when Jenkins ran into me." Baird shook his head sharply at himself. "I can't believe I did that."

"You've never dealt with something like this before," Tw'eak replied. "Besides which, it's not just a dead person in there - it's your friend. It's a fellow officer."

"Yeah," Baird replied. "And there but for the grace of God, right?"

Downie smiled at Baird. "It's not your fault, Lieutenant." She took his hand in hers. "Just remember, whatever's happened, unless we find out something that you did wrong, you're not at fault for this."

"Damn it, I'm the security chief, though," Baird protested. "People should - people should be secure." He shook his head at himself again, trying not to break down. "God, not again."

Tw'eak took the tricorder from Baird. "You're relieved, Lieutenant."

"What the hell-?"

"For personal reasons," Tw'eak continued. "You're not dismissed, but... I can see it wouldn't be helpful for us to ask you to come in there with us."

"But I have to," Baird persisted. "It's my duty - it's my responsibility - to her."

"You may not have noticed, Lieutenant, but you're hesitating - and that's for good reason." Downie escorted away from the door, intending for him to sit in an adjacent chair. "If we have any questions, you'll be right here to answer them. But the commander's right. You've done your part. We'll take it from here. If you could contact Doctor Horsell or Doctor Ogilvie and ask them to prep for autopsy, I would appreciate it."

"And Chief Faso," Tw'eak added. "Once we've taken the preliminary report at the scene, I think we'll want to beam her point-to-point rather than carry her through the corridors on a gurney."

"Okay," Baird said. "I'll set it up." He nodded. "Thanks. She - she's in there. In the bathtub."

Tw'eak nodded, and watched Baird step out into the hallway. She handed the tricorder to Downie. "How are you holding up?" the counselor asked.

Tw'eak let both eyebrows rise and fall quickly. "You take the scans and I'll take the notes," she suggested.

"Will you want a padd or anything for that?"

"No," Tw'eak replied. "I doubt I'll have an easy time forgetting this."

* * *

It took a long time for Tw'eak and Counselor Downie to fully assess the scene of the crime. Now, with the computer taking an encrypted recording of the report, Tw'eak stood before an audience of Captain Corlett, Lieutenant Baird and Lieutenant Commander Benso, Downie standing on the other side of the viewscreen, in the conference room. The viewer showed a top-down view of Rau's quarters, the location of furniture, and the adjacent bathroom with its fixtures.

"Suspect would have presumably entered by the main doorway," Tw'eak began. "A security override was made of the lock on the door."

Baird shook his head. "There's no way that could've happened. The door was locked when I got here - it's why I had to use my override to unlock it."

"The door was locked again by whoever it was, when they left," Downie replied.

"From the inside?" Baird asked.

"We were hoping to ask you to find out," came Tw'eak's response. She continued. "Cause of death was asphyxiation by drowning. Lieutenant Rau was engaged in a bath at the time. She must have been surprised by her attacker - whom she probably didn't see face-to-face." Tw'eak signalled for Downie to turn around. "The lieutenant was held under from behind." Downie bent over, and Tw'eak placed her hands on the back of the counselor's neck. "The counselor's scan showed perimortem bruising, roughly consistent with the size of a humanoid hand, along the back of the lieutenant's neck during our initial examination." She removed her hands and they fell to her side.

"The water in her lungs was conclusive proof," Downie added as she straightened up. "Cause of death."

"Was there any other potential cause of death?" Captain Corlett asked.

"Doctor Ogilvie is conducting the autopsy now. But we couldn't find anything to suggest otherwise."

Benso fidgeted in the seat behind Corlett. "This has gotta - I'm sorry, but there's gotta be a connection, right? We have two people dead, onboard, by someone else's hand, within twenty-four hours. That's - there's no way that's coincidence."

Tw'eak turned to Baird. "Another question we hope to have answered."

"I'll review logs," Baird said, "track her whereabouts, see who she was with." He gave Benso a meaningful glance. "It's Rau, she was with someone."

"Probably," Benso replied with a chuckle.

"Can you clarify?" the captain asked.

Baird's face went flush, and Benso stammered. "I - uh, Dyra - sir - Lieutenant Rau, uh, she..."

"The lieutenant sought the attention of a number of male officers onboard," Counselor Downie stated. "This attention was sometimes... well, reciprocated."

"Reciprocated - you mean sex?"

Downie smiled, and Baird coughed involuntarily. "That is a rather direct way of stating it, but yes, she had several romantic relationships ongoing, usually in surreptitious fashion."

"With whom?"

Tw'eak took a half-step towards the viewer. "I think that's something we'll have to resolve in our investigation," she hastily replied. It wasn't appropriate - least of all in a recorded meeting - to speak ill of the dead by airing dirty laundry. Benso and Baird alike seemed to be struck dumb, while Downie was clearly embarrassed. "We'll see how much of her ...social life is relevant to the investigation and let you know."

"I'm going to start asking around," Baird said, standing quickly. "See if I can find out who she was with the night she died - who she had dinner with, if anyone saw her with someone else, the usual."

Benso stood as well. "And I'm gonna direct all my people to talk to you, Darren, and to co-operate fully. This kind of thing... we need to keep it under control. There's gonna be rumours. Same as with the last guy."

Downie spoke next. "I'll review my conversations with Lieutenant Rau, during our recent sessions." She looked to Benso. "I don't think it'll come as any surprise to anyone that Rau was a regular visitor."

"Everything about this, I find surprising," Corlett said sharply. "That a lieutenant from my engine room could carry on like this, and wind up dead in her own quarters as a result, is shocking." He looked at Tw'eak. "I want answers. I want to know who did this." With that, he was off, followed closely by Benso and Baird. This left Downie standing with Tw'eak.

"Computer, cease recording and encrypt as previously authorized on my command," Tw'eak said.

"Something about this..." Downie pointed a finger at the screen. "I can't make sense of it."

"Did the lieutenant say anything to you about... how did she put it?" Tw'eak tried to remember. "She said that she felt haunted, or like someone else was in her mind."

"Like dirty fingers on a white blanket," Downie replied. "Yes, she did. It was what she wanted to talk to me about yesterday. I'm wondering if I should leave the investigation of Rau's death to you. She... she was a complicated character, and I appreciated her, on a personal level, even if I'd never be comfortable living as 'out loud' as she did."

"Y'know, that's just it - I know the guys were offended at the thought of her being exposed as someone who liked to ...have a full dance card, shall we say."

"Oh, I think it was something else than that," Downie said with a smile - a different smile than was typical for her. "She's mentioned both of them to me before."

"Really?" Tw'eak covered her mouth. "Benso, I could see, but Baird?"

"If I remember correctly, he was one that got away. It's not unusual for people on starships together to forget they're married for just long enough to find someone to connect with, but Darren... his memory suddenly came back to him before anything too far along happened."

Tw'eak raised an eyebrow. "Who else?"

"With Lieutenant Rau? It'd be a shorter list to say who wasn't." Downie laughed. "But that was her way. She was Betazoid, attractive, very expressive - as you know from having talked to her about it, she wasn't above painting a mental picture for these guys. Add to that her fondness for her own nudity and her frustrations at being married to a Vulcan, and yeah, she... put herself out there, in a big way."

"So what did you tell her?"

"The usual, not all that different from what you eventually had to - that her sexuality had limits, that she would one day be looked at and possibly passed over for promotion on the basis of her past activities, but she respected the boundaries - for the most part - and the feelings were always mutual. And she always made clear with them that she wasn't to be possessed or wooed, it was just for fun. For the most part, they respected that. They knew who she was."

"And that she was married?" As Downie nodded, Tw'eak shook her head. "So how does an uninhibited Betazoid woman like Rau end up marrying a Vulcan guy, then?"

"You know, I never found out? She spoke of him the way I'd speak of a dead relative." Downie puffed out her cheeks. "Any time I tried to bring the subject up, she'd deflect and find a way out - even if I persisted. It was just off-limits, which I respected. As I said, she was complex. The last thing I wanted to do was alienate her by persisting in asking about something she clearly didn't want to discuss with me."

"Strange for someone so open to shut down a topic."

"More common than you might think."

"Nothing about her seems to have been common," Tw'eak added. She looked at the viewscreen showing Rau's quarters. "And now, she's dead."

Downie nodded, then gestured at the screen. "Which brings me back to something I can't understand."

"What's that?"

"Well, we know that Rau was a Betazoid, open, friendly - too friendly - and willing to share, telepathically."

Tw'eak looked at the viewer. "Right."

"So how does one go about sneaking up on a telepath, in order to drown her in her own bathtub?"

The question hung in the air for a long moment, as neither Tw'eak nor Downie had an answer.


	37. Chapter 37

The Repulse's brig was, like seemingly everything else onboard, relatively compact. There were four cells, angled at their entrances to allow the security officer on duty (at the central seated console) to see in at all times. The main entrance was on the left wall of this brig, while on the right was a glorified closet which was labeled 'Interrogation'. It was here, later in the day, that Tw'eak found herself, standing next to Lieutenant Baird, who sat opposite his new prime suspect - Lieutenant Jon Sagittori.

"I appreciate you taking the time to meet with us, Lieutenant," Baird began.

"Jesus, Darren, you haven't referred to me by rank in years." Jon looked from Tw'eak to Baird. "What's this about?"

"There's just a couple things we wanted to review with you. As you know, there's been a couple incidents on board, I gotta investigate. The commander here has been taking a lead role in this, which is why she's here. I wanna emphasize, you know, that you have rights, that you aren't under arrest, we're just looking for some answers."

"I don't believe this - I'm a suspect?" Jon was stunned. "Darren - we've worked together for three years. You really think I could do this?"

"It doesn't matter what I believe."

"So you DO think I could do this."

"Lieutenant," Tw'eak intervened. "We haven't formally ruled anyone in as a suspect. And given what we know, you're the only person onboard who can be directly connected to both murders. We have to ask."

Sagittori was bewildered. "What do you mean, 'directly connected'?"

"You were in the corridor, last evening, on Deck Four, where Ensign Mellivenk was killed," Baird asked.

"That's right. I saw him die right in front of me. I tried - his killer beamed out right in front of me!"

"Did you see anything else?"

"Other than a guy in black, from behind, holding a phaser and beaming out?"

Baird tilted his head. "How'd you see he had a phaser if he was facing away from you?"

"It was in his hand," Sagittori said, slapping his left hand into his right for emphasis. "I know what phasers look like in people's hands."

"Was he wearing gloves?"

"I - I think so."

"Any sort of head covering?"

"I told you this already, Darren. A black hooded jacket, probably uniform pants - the pants were black too. And gloves. Turned away by the time I got to the intersection, and beamed out just as I started to chase him." Sagittori waited for the next question. "You want his height in centimetres, too?"

"No, you told me that already." Baird looked at a padd. "See, where I get fuzzy with this is that Ensign Rinehart didn't see you where you said you were."

"How could she? She came from the other side of the intersection. Mellivenk was between us."

"But she didn't see you there." Baird leaned in. "What were you doing on Deck Four anyway, Jon?"

"My quarters are on that deck."

"Were you leaving, or coming back?"

"Leaving."

"At four in the morning?"

"I - yeah, maybe I was!" Sagittori screamed. "I couldn't sleep. I went for a walk around the deck. Wish I'd stayed in bed." He drooped, head in hands. "I can't believe this."

"How'd you know Mellivenk?" Baird asked next.

"I didn't!" Sagittori slammed his fists into the desk. "Damn it, Darren. You know I didn't have anything to do with this. Why - why would I go about trying to get the internal sensors back online right after I killed him, if I didn't? And where did I stash the phaser, then?"

"We know what happened to the murder weapon," Baird replied flatly.

"Yeah? Because I'd love to know." Sagittori leaned forward. "As in, I don't know, since I never shot anyone."

Baird tapped on his padd for a moment, further infuriating Sagittori. "Next question," Baird said. "Lieutenant Rau."

"Yes, I know. She's dead. You think I killed her, too?"

"I have three witnesses that put you with her in the mess hall, not an hour before she died."

"Yes." Sagittori's defiance faded, and he looked downwards. "Yes, I was."

"So tell me why you didn't report that to me," Baird snarled. "Tell me why I had to find out from Doc Horsell, of all people, that you and Rau were having a night out together."

"It was nothing of the sort." Sagittori's voice rose again.

"So what was it, then? You were just going to walk her home?"

"As it turns out, I did. But it's nothing like you're saying it was?"

"Really? Because I don't recall saying anything about how I think it was." Baird stood up. "But maybe I should. I think maybe Dyralxia Rau had a new boyfriend - someone who could connect with her, telepathically, like no one else could. And that made you crazy. So you found a way to get back at him - and then, at her."

"What the hell? Darren!" Sagittori extended his arms out, grievously wounded by Baird's tone. "What are you even talking about?"

Tw'eak placed a hand on Baird's shoulder. "Maybe you should take a minute, Lieutenant."

Baird gave Tw'eak a stricken look of his own. "Commander?"

"This has been a hard day for all of us. She was family. Just... take a minute, think this through before we level accusations. Whoever this killer is, let's not let them tear us apart in finding out who they are."

Baird bristled for a moment before relenting. "I need a coffee anyway." He turned and walked back to the central control station for the brig. Moments later, Tw'eak heard a replicator whirl to life.

Tw'eak sat down across from Sagittori and smiled politely. "Forget he said that."

"Like hell," Sagittori muttered vengefully.

"I mean it, Lieutenant." Tw'eak placed a hand palm up on the table. "I've never experienced anything like this. Neither has he. Neither have you. Hopefully we get to the point, we find the killer, and get back to being who we are again."

"I... Commander, you gotta believe me, I didn't kill anyone."

Tw'eak smiled. "I do."

"You do?" Sagittori said, startled.

"At least, I want to. I'm pretty sure I do. But what you're not telling me here is as important as what we already know."

"I've already told Darren everything."

Smiling, Tw'eak nodded. "Everything about you, yes."

Sagittori leaned back slightly. "It's all I'm gonna say."

"The lieutenant has his idea of how this went - I have mine. Let me tell you mine." She looked upwards. "On the night Ensign Mellivenk was killed, you were, as you told the lieutenant, unable to sleep. It was the same reason why you met with Lieutenant Rau the next evening." She leaned forward, whispering, "Ensign Koepka."

Sagittori shook his head, disbelieving. "You gotta go back there, every time," he said.

Tw'eak shrugged. "Show me the lie."

It took a moment - a long moment, with Tw'eak intently following Sagittori's eyes and movements - before a deep sigh came forth from the lieutenant. "You're right." He shook his head. "We... two nights ago, she told me she planned to put in for a transfer when we reached Starbase 234. Now that's all been delayed, since we can't dock."

"That's not cause enough to murder someone," Tw'eak said gently.

"I didn't kill him!"

"I know. But it does put you at the scene. Because if the woman I loved told me she was transferring out, even knowing it was the right thing to do, I'd have a sleepless night, too."

"Which is what that was. I walked that deck - felt like hours. And then Mellivenk - this orange flash - and he's gone." Sagittori raised his hands as if sand was passing through them. "He was just gone."

"Which brings us to the day in between. You were off-shift, confined to quarters, for the first part of your usual shift, but you stayed on late."

"I was checking and re-checking the internal sensors. I didn't see how that could've happened, that they got triggered like that. Delano and I went over it a hundred times. Either there was some kind of remote, or the sensors did it themselves."

"It was a remote," Tw'eak informed the lieutenant. "Which was later destroyed, along with the rest of the evidence." She looked at Sagittori. "Did your travels take you anywhere near the transporter room?"

"Nope."

"How about the holodeck?"

"You told me not to," Sagittori replied. "I haven't done a holo-mission in weeks."

Tw'eak considered the prospect that Sagittori would catch on. "What about main engineering? Or sickbay?"

"No - I was either in my quarters, under guard, or on the bridge, until I went off-shift at nineteen hundred."

"Which was when you found Lieutenant Rau."

"Yeah, in the mess hall." Sagittori cringed. "And yeah, I saw Doctor Horsell, too. He was just getting off shift, eating his dinner. Rau and someone else, Ensign Sanchez? She was on the other side of the room with some science people, I didn't catch who. No, one of them was Ensign Moresby, from stellar cartography."

Tw'eak smiled, raising a hand. "I'm not asking who you were there with - I'm sure Lieutenant Baird could tell me."

"Yeah - but he comes in here, busting my balls about-" Sagittori caught himself. "Sorry, Commander."

"It's okay, I've heard worse, from people under far less stress than you." Tw'eak smiled again. "Tell me what you talked about with Lieutenant Rau."

"Well... it was just... table talk, you know? She asked how things were going, I told her." Sagittori raised a hand in protest. "Anyone else, in that place, who I knew, I would've had the same conversation with."

"About Ensign Koepka."

"About Brie. Yeah. I told her that she might be leaving. She misinterpreted, thought I might be down for... y'know, like we used to be."

Tw'eak merely nodded, well aware of what Sagittori meant.

"But I said I wanted to be with Brie - only her, nobody else. She gets kind of disappointed, because she wants to be everything to everyone, but I know how she is - and I just can't be like that, y'know? Even then, the time when we were together wasn't long, but she was with Lieutenant McKelvie, from logistics, a couple times when I wasn't around. And that was always her thing - she didn't want me getting too close."

"Would you have?" Tw'eak asked. "If she'd let you, I mean."

"I mean, maybe? It wasn't too long after that when Brie came aboard. It made getting over Dyra happen a lot faster. But then Dyra got jealous for a while there, and Brie hates her for it."

"I remember." Tw'eak recalled her conversation with Ensign Koepka, while they had been aboard the freight vessel used as bait by the Romulans. "Was it 'cupcake' she called her?"

"Yeah. Don't ever let Brie hear you call her that. She HATES it."

"I understand it has a dual meaning, in human custom."

"Yeah. But that was Dyra - always quick and clever with the nicknames."

"Yes, somehow I became 'boss'." Tw'eak threw her chin towards Sagittori. "She have a nickname for you?"

"Of course she did."

Tw'eak waited a moment, a sly grin on her face. "You gonna tell me?"

"No," Sagittori said firmly.

"I could ask Ensign Koepka?" Tw'eak's grin grew to massive proportions.

Sagittori held for a moment before another deep breath. "I was her 'straight arrow'."

"That's perfect," Tw'eak said with a laugh. "No, I mean it, that - it really suits you."

"She was just playing on names. 'Sagittori', my last name, it's like an archer. You know what an archer is?"

"Bow and arrow," Tw'eak replied. "But again, dual meaning - you're that clean-cut junior officer who's always doing the right thing."

"Yeah. Still wound up here." Sagittori gestured expansively at the tiny interrogation room.

"Well, not for much longer - and you're free to leave, we told you." Tw'eak tapped a finger to her upper lip. "If I asked you if anyone could confirm your whereabouts after your conversation with Rau..."

Sagittori's eyes went wide. "Uh - like an alibi."

"I know just who I'd ask."

Defeated, Sagittori conceded the point. "Yeah. Brie." He suddenly became animated. "But it's not what you think."

"Then you can explain. When did you get back to your quarters?"

"Twenty-forty-five or so?"

"You talked to the lieutenant for that long?"

"Yeah. She was shaken up by Mellivenk getting killed. We all were. It was so random. She asked me about it, I told her. She mentioned how she had been having these dreams, this... feeling she had, like my ma used to say about having a bird in the house, like... ominous."

Tw'eak remembered what Counselor Downie had confirmed, and what Rau herself had said to her on the cube. "She felt a presence, telepathically?"

"Basically, yeah. She said she'd talked to the counselor about it, hoped it was nothing. Then she - she was really nice, about Brie. She asked how I'd handle it, so I asked how she handled being so far from her husband, and she didn't really answer me, but she just how much she just wanted people onboard to be happy, with themselves, being in service, that sort of thing. She said some nice stuff about me - not gonna repeat it, but it was mostly how she wanted us to be happy together." Sagittori made a gesture to his right. "I walked her home, just to the door, you realize."

"No, I believe you."

"She said goodnight, went to bed, that was it. I did, too."

"You went to your quarters afterwards?"

"Yeah." Sagittori once again caved under the weight of Tw'eak's glare. "To the couch. Brie took the bed."

"I see."

"She... Brie grew up on a freighter, right? So she has all these superstitions and stuff. Don't say this, do that three times before you do that, all this stuff. That was how I first got her attention. One of her superstitions is about sleeping alone. So I told her, you should come stay with me, then. Imagine that - eventually, she did!"

Tw'eak fought the urge to groan. "Mmhmm."

Sagittori was oblivious to Tw'eak's reaction. "She spent her whole life sharing quarters with - her family, someone. Even at the Academy - she had this crazy roommate, junior year, was from Coridan? Crazy - would just stare at Brie, even in the dark. Brie said it was still better than if she had been alone."

Tw'eak tried to steer the conversation back to the topic at hand. "So when Mellivenk was killed..."

"Brie got scared," Sagittori continued. "And she went looking for someone to stay with. And I only found out because she asked Delano, and he thought it was a little inappropriate for him to spend the night with her in his quarters, so he told me. I talked to her, she came over. Like I said, I was on the couch."

Tw'eak nodded appreciatively. "That makes sense." She thought for a moment. "Lieutenant, I'm going to ask you a favour."

"Okay."

"I don't want you to act like we've cleared you as a suspect."

"But you have, right? Can I at least tell Brie?"

"No one," Tw'eak insisted. "If this killer is trying to frame you, I want them thinking that it's working." She gestured to Lieutenant Baird. "Later today, I may have the lieutenant come and take you into custody." When Sagittori started to protest, she raised a hand. "Protective custody."

"What the hell for?"

"We have a killer who can manipulate our own systems and abuse our security protocols. A faked suicide note is not beyond their abilities."

"You mean - you think I could - holy shit." Sagittori sank as if deflated. "What about Brie?"

"I can't place her in protective custody, but I can offer her a place to stay, in my quarters." She gave a half-smile. "It'd give the counselor a night off from having to check up on me."

"Yeah," Sagittori said. "Hey, how you doin', anyway? You look a lot better than the last time I saw you."

"I wish I felt that much better," Tw'eak said. "But with all this happening, I don't see how I can take the time I need."

"Yeah. Here's hoping that we actually do get a quiet night ahead, huh?" Sagittori winced. "I meant, uh, you know, bad joke. Damn."

"I'd like that, honestly. A quiet night has a certain appeal." Tw'eak stood up. "Tell Ensign Koepka to pack an overnight bag and come by around twenty-hundred or so. I should be back in my quarters by then."

"So I can go?"

Tw'eak smiled. "Lieutenant, you've always been free to go. We told you."

"I know, but - for real?"

"Between you and I, yes, you're not a suspect. But don't share that with anyone else."

"Hey, alright," he said, standing up. "You know, I really hope this transfer thing works out."

"So do I. Ensign Koepka was talking seriously about resigning for a while there."

"Oh, she was serious, too!" Sagittori rolled his eyes. "Like she could go back to handling a freighter when she's had a chance to fly a ship like this. Come on."

"I agree. It'd be a shame to lose a helm officer as talented as she is." Tw'eak patted Sagittori on the shoulder as he came by. "I could say that about my tactical officer, all the same."

"Thanks, boss." Sagittori grinned.

" 'Boss'?" Tw'eak asked.

"What can I say? It suits you."

Tw'eak shook her head. "Come on, let's go talk to Lieutenant Baird about your upcoming trial date," she said sarcastically.


	38. Chapter 38

Once Lieutenant Sagittori was on his way, Tw'eak returned to her quarters. To her surprise, Counselor Gwen Downie was in the corridor.

"There you are," she said as Tw'eak approached. "I just came to see if you were in. And of course you're not."

"I had a little business in the brig," Tw'eak replied.

"You were in the brig? What for?"

"I was, but not - you know, it's not like I was locked up."

"Oh. Probably checking in with Lieutenant Baird about something."

"I'd only do that in the 'office' we set up on Deck Four," Tw'eak corrected, hinting at the shuttlecraft.

Downie took her meaning. "Right. Gotcha."

"So what were you doing here?" Tw'eak tapped a panel on the wall. The chronometer read thirteen-thirty-six.

"I wanted to see if you were resting." Downie put a hand on her hip. "Like you're supposed to be."

Tw'eak shrugged. "What can I say, I would, under better circumstances."

"Well, I'll tell you what. We should probably discuss a couple things, confidentially, that I want to bring to your attention, regarding the other matter."

"The first one, or the second?"

"The latter."

Tw'eak gestured towards the turbolift she had just exited. "In that case, let's talk in the office."

* * *

The main shuttlebay felt even more empty than usual. Tw'eak approached Lieutenant M'Rann. "How are things here?"

"Oh, same as ever when no one's allowed to launch," the Caitian flight deck officer quipped. "Shuttles are all right where they were last time you were here."

"I suppose that's a good thing," Tw'eak said. "I'd rather not have - whoever it is - know that we're here."

"Nope." M'Rann smiled, and her whiskers twitched. "I'll lower the field."

"Thanks." The field abated, and Counselor Downie stepped up to the rear hatch, inputting the sequence to open the doors. Tw'eak thought of something. "You'd tell me if anyone asked about why it was in a confinement field?"

"Quarantine," M'Rann replied quickly. "Contamination with a rare duranium-eating spore. No, maybe a deadly case of something else that someone beamed up." Her ears went back. "But that would get caught in a bio-filter. I'll need come up with something a little more convincing, but until I do, there are dozens of Talarian hook spiders. All over the interior."

Tw'eak tried to smile. "That'll work," she lied.

"You're right. Can't be that." M'Rann laughed. "Which is why I'm in a shuttlebay, and not in holo-novel production."

"Maybe some kind of flying insect," Tw'eak suggested. "People hate those. There were swarms of some kind of bug like that on New Romulus. Maybe they're nesting in there."

"Ooh, good call," M'Rann said with a smile. "That'll give me something to read about to pass the time. Thanks, Commander."

Tw'eak gave a nod and walked to the shuttle, joining Downie, who was at the shuttle replicator. From it, she procured a pillow and blanket. "Now," she said. "Close the hatch and lay down."

"What are you doing?"

Downie pointed to the nearby bench seating of the port interior of the shuttle. "I can replicate however many pillows and blankets you want."

"Zero?" Tw'eak quipped as the back hatch closed.

"Go on - stretch out. You need it."

It wasn't like Tw'eak to lay down on duty, but Downie was insistent, and duty-bound as a qualified medical officer to treat her patient. "Can I get you anything else?" Downie asked as she sat down, having satisfied her need to see Tw'eak resting.

"Wouldn't eating something require me to sit up?"

"Oh, good point. Let's not do that."

"But I haven't had lunch," Tw'eak said wryly.

"Are you always this difficult, or are you doing this just for me?" Downie replied flatly.

"It's not your fault. I've always had a terrible time keeping still - especially when duty calls."

This gave Downie pause. "I know how you feel. I'm usually the same way. At least with being in command, you get to have those moments of impatience, and raise your voice a little, or punch a bulkhead. You can't do that as a counselor. Some days, I'd love nothing more than to just ask someone to get to the point, or get hold of themselves, but it usually passes before I say anything."

"Usually?"

Downie hesitated, then smiled broadly. "Sometimes the best approach is the most direct one," she said with exaggerated pleasantry.

"How much longer until you hit me with the 'direct approach'?" Tw'eak joked.

Downie intentonally made her voice staccato for emphasis. "Not - much - longer," she replied, her face still smiling the same way for a moment before she broke into a laugh.

Tw'eak rested her head on the pillow. "I have to admit, I wish I could spend more time resting. But I have to stay on top of everything, it seems. And now this."

"You should probably do your encrypt-o-matic thing before we continue talking."

"Right. Computer, activate sonic dampening field, and-" She looked at Downie. "On the record?"

"If you want, I suppose."

"Okay. Computer, begin recording of conversation between Counselor Downie and myself, and encrypt recording, authorization Sh'abbas Zeta 117."

"Authorization acknowledged," the computer replied. "Commencing recording."

"So what's up?"

"I... don't know if you know this, but Lieutenant Rau was one of my most regular of customers."

"Yes, you mentioned it before."

"But I didn't talk about why. Or, for that matter, what." Downie was clearly uncomfortable. "Were it not for what happened, I'd be sworn to secrecy on this, but I need to bring it up - if only to know that it's on the record."

"Go ahead."

"Rau's... had a bit of a rough life. She was just a baby when her parents were both killed during the occupation of Betazed during the Dominion War. She bounced around a lot, never really fit in anywhere, and for a Betazoid, that's a very dysfunctional way to grow up. Her youth criminal record was sealed when I tried to find out what she had done, but at some point she had what she described as 'her worst day'." Downie gave a shrug. "It's strange to me how much people will tell you about some things, and how completely they'll shut down when you inqure about others. That was Rau - she'll tell you everything she wants you to know, and that's it. But, the impression I got was that she had done something wrong, as a result of which, someone she cared about died."

"That's awful," Tw'eak said. "How old was she at the time?"

"Couldn't have been twenty yet. I say that because someone, some sympathetic adult or maybe a justice official, intervened because of some demonstration of talent or some special circumstance - basically that she was too good with devices to let that potential be wasted on a penal colony. Of course, Rau told me she got the impression they just didn't want to have to deal with her breaking out. So she went to the Academy, and after six years, she began her service."

"Six years at the Academy?" Tw'eak was wide-eyed. "You did say six."

"She had to repeat a year as a disciplinary consequence."

"That's five," Tw'eak continued.

"It wasn't clear - it might have been by choice." Downie gestured to the forward compartment. "Again, now that she's no longer with us, it may be easier to get answers, but they'd be for information, and maybe some closure, at best. They're not really relevant on their own, but they do speak to a pattern of behaviour which was her idea of 'normal'." Downie tapped a hand to her temple. "She often reached out to others with her mind, in the full knowledge that it was wrong to do so."

"Yes, I disciplined her on that issue not long ago."

"It's the justification she gave that I think you'll find interesting. If they intended her harm, had any kind of ill will... she wanted to know about it."

"We all would."

"But again, she wasn't raised in the Betazoid traditions, so her moral compass on the issue wasn't fully formed. This meant she ran afoul of it - and felt it was the lesser of two evils."

"Do you know anything about where she grew up?" Tw'eak asked. "How was she allowed to... fall through the cracks like this? It sounds as though she wasn't the only one."

"As I said, because it's tied to her youth criminal record, it's all sealed. But I can tell you that, whatever happened, it haunted her."

Tw'eak took a deep breath, coming to a conclusion she hadn't before. "What you said, before, about how you shouldn't be able to sneak up on a telepath... do you think that what I was asking her to do, keep her mind to herself... maybe that was a contributing factor?"

"No." Downie's response was instant, certain. "And I can tell you how I know that - it's because she wasn't keeping to herself. Telepathically mingling with people, willingly or not, was a habit she was finding hard to break. But that was how she became aware of - do you remember, when we were at the holodeck, she suddenly begged me for a few minutes of time for an appointment?"

"The dirty feeling she had in her mind," Tw'eak recalled.

Downie nodded. "She felt it again, in that holodeck, while we were there."

Tw'eak sat up, nearly banging into the overhead bulkhead. Her antennae scraped along its lower edge, to her annoyance. "The same one she felt during the away mission to Omicron Kappa II?"

"Is that what they call the planet that was destroyed?"

"Yes - but wait. This is significant." Tw'eak started thinking. "She came to me, during the Borg mission, about it."

"The away mission on the cube, you mean," Downie inquired.

"This - wait a minute, this is huge." Tw'eak turned her legs outwards, counting on her fingers as she did. "She felt it on the planet - where the Undine landed. She felt it on the ship, afterwards?" Tw'eak waited for Downie to respond, but a curt nod was all the counselor offered. "And on the cube." Her eyes narrowed, and her antennae curled towards each other in fright. "And here, on the ship..."

"I think I know what you're getting at," Downie said gently, "but let me hear what you're concluding all the same."

"I'm saying that one of the members of our away team were replaced by an Undine during the mission on Omicron Kappa II." Tw'eak considered further. "And that's our murderer."

Downie began nodding more vigourously. "My God. Commander - both Mellivenk and Rau were telepathic species."

"Just like the Undine," Tw'eak said, her eyes widening. She bolted to the forward compartment. "Computer, give me a list of all personnel who were involved in the mission to Omicron Kappa II." The computer produced a list of twelve names - five from the _Repulse_, the other seven from the _Tecumseh_. Several were less brightly coloured than the others, indicating that they hadn't survived. Tw'eak noted Commander Edgar Torgrove's name among them. "Just our people."

"Please re-state request," the computer responded.

Now Downie was seated next to Tw'eak. "Computer, list all _Repulse_ personnel who landed on Omicron Kappa II."

The list now read five names. One - Lieutenant Raxx, the late science officer - was in a darkened orange. "Raxx didn't make it," Tw'eak said. "Rau's dead." Tw'eak pointed to the list. "And Shev Th'zarik wasn't on that mission."

"Then why is he listed here?"

"He was supposed to go, but Sagittori took the immunosupport hyposprays from him at the transporter room. And Raxx administered them." Tw'eak shook her head. "At least they weren't assimilated, I suppose. Either way, Th'zarik died on the Borg cube." She gritted her teeth, remembering how the assimilated Undine had blasted Th'zarik dead while her team was trying to kill it. "That just leaves Captain Corlett, and Lieutenant Sagittori."

"You interviewed Lieutenant Sagittori this morning," Downie added.

"I did. If he's an Undine, then they're good." She tapped her finger to her mouth. "Sagittori was associated with both crime scenes. But he was so sincere - and he and Ensign Koepka were both - damn." Tw'eak pulled up a file. "There's a thing - I can't remember what it's called - Undine need it to preserve themselves once they take on another form."

"Some kind of injection." Downie winced, then snapped her fingers. "Isomorphic injection. I knew I'd remember."

Tw'eak was impressed. "Where did you learn that?"

"Medic training. I know stuff." Downie smiled.

"We can't go in on this with half-measures. If we're proceeding from the assumption that either the tactical officer or the captain of this ship are now compromised, and an Undine infiltrator is in their place, then we need to get to the bottom of this conclusively." Tw'eak pointed out the file she had drawn up - Precautions Against Undine Infiltration. It was a sort of poster-style 'quick tips' guide. "The presence of used or unused isomorphic injections, behavioural pattern changes, missing meal times, irregular sleep patterns-"

"We know Sagittori was up late the night Mellivenk was killed," Downie interrupted.

"Yeah, but he had a reasonable explanation for it." Tw'eak shook her head. "Maybe he's been compromised and the Undine knows what he felt for Ensign Koepka. I don't buy it. Call it a hunch, but it has to be the captain. He would know our systems, have unlimited access, be able to use whatever pre-programmed sequences he wanted, with no restrictions he couldn't override, and very few safeguards he couldn't circumvent."

"He'd be holed up in his ready room forever, with full computer access, and we'd never know."

"And there's no way to access what he's doing or reading about. It's logged, but that data is sealed unless needed for a court-martial." Tw'eak's antennae flared outwards. "It's a good thing we took the precautions we have - if it is the captain, it'd be able to monitor our every transmission, maybe even try to access the files to see what we have."

"It's pretty standard practice to isolate criminal investigation data," Downie responded.

"Yeah, but not like this," Tw'eak said, indicating the shuttlecraft around them.

"So how do we go about testing this theory?" Downie asked. "We need to be aware that it's telepathic."

"Not now it isn't," Tw'eak corrected. "He's taken human form."

"But wouldn't its mind still be capable of reaching out?"

"Not according to this." Tw'eak pointed to the chart. "If the Undine had taken Rau's form, ironically, then there would be no problem."

"And then it'd be out there killing people with its mind," Downie quipped. "Not sure that's better." She suddenly came to a realization. "Actually, that's good - it might've been reading our minds to see if we'd figured out it's the killer, this whole time, and we would've never known."

"I don't know if you can just put up a dampening field for telepathic abilities. I don't think it works like that." Tw'eak read further. "But look at this. One way to confirm the presence of an Undine onboard is with a microcellular scan. They can exactly mimic blood and other DNA - it's a very exact practice. They can also take what they need to know from the minds of their victims, if given enough time, to allow themselves to blend in more effectively."

"That's horrifying." Downie suppressed a shudder. "Not sure what's worse - being assimilated, or that."

"At least you survive assimilation," Tw'eak replied, chilled by her own response. "We need a plan." She re-considered. "We need a plan that looks believably unrelated. We'll never get him out of that ready room - and we'll never sneak a microcellular scan if he's on the bridge, or out in the corridor." She shook her head. "It's perfect. He's already reclusive and unwilling to be sociable."

Downie gritted her teeth. "We'll never get Ogilvie to sign off on a sudden medical exam. I don't know when he's due for one, but it is annual. Still, a microcellular scan isn't something that you just do to people. Not on a medical, anyway. There needs to be a reason."

"Can you conduct that kind of scan using a medical tricorder?"

"Yeah. It takes a minute - first to program the tricorder to do it, then the scan itself will take some time."

"We need to know," Tw'eak replied. "The only question is, how do we find out?"

"If we're correct, and I'm not jumping to any conclusions, but how many of our personnel are telepathic?"

Tw'eak turned to the computer. "Computer, give me a full list of current duty personnel for the starship _Repulse_." The computer put together a list of names. Tw'eak saw her own name second on the list. "Now eliminate all the humans from the list." Nearly half the list vanished, including the names Corlett, Benso, Sagittori, Baird and Koepka. "Andorians, Bajorans, Bolians - actually, eliminate any members of the crew who do not have telepathic senses." The list shortened to six names. Tw'eak noted Lieutenant Commander V'Sar's name. "Separate out the Vulcans and Trill, and remove Ensign Mellivenk."

"I'm surprised he's still on there," Downie remarked.

"He's still one of ours, for official purposes." Tw'eak looked back to the list. Two names remained. One, in the darkened colour of those who had fallen in the line of duty, was Dyralxia Rau. The other, Tw'eak read aloud. "Ensign Salati Redus." She looked at Downie. "She's one of Baird's people." She tapped her commbadge. "Sh'abbas to Baird."

"Baird here, Commander."

"Can you meet the counselor and I - at the office? We've... we could use your help."

"I'll be right there." The commbadge chirped, indicating the conversation had been ended on Baird's end.

"I almost have to hope we're wrong about this," Downie said after a moment's silence, "but I think it's as good a hypothesis as any to start with."

"That's the thing," Tw'eak replied. "If we're wrong, and we accuse the captain falsely, it'll take some doing for us to get out from under the embarrassment it'll cause. Which is why we need to be careful. Actually..." Tw'eak trailed off, her eyes drawn to the blackened forward viewport.

"What?"

"It occurs to me that being wrong about this is the better scenario." She looked to Downie. "It's a lot more dangerous if we're right about this," she added.


	39. Chapter 39

"My God, you're serious."

Lieutenant Darren Baird sat on the shuttlecraft _Neruda_'s aft bench seat, stupefied, eyes wide. His hands rested, palm up, to either side, and his shock was palpable. Counselor Downie and Tw'eak had just finished bringing him into the loop - their suspicions that the murderer was an Undine which had infiltrated their ship by posing as their captain, Avery Corlett.

"We know it's a lot to take in," Tw'eak said after a moment.

"You're not wrong. This - I mean, there are a thousand things wrong with that, from a strictly Starfleet perspective. Suspecting the captain of anything... I mean, the captain is supposed to be perfect, the ...the example for the rest of the crew."

Tw'eak nodded. "Which made him a perfect target to replace. With the whole starship depending on his authority, he's the only one who would remain above suspicion."

"Unless he was telepathically discovered," Downie added. "Which was why he had to target Mellivenk and Rau."

"No, don't get me wrong, it makes sense." Baird narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "But we're sure it's not Sagittori?"

"I wonder if we're not supposed to be getting that impression," Tw'eak conjectured.

"He's being framed?"

Tw'eak nodded at the lieutenant. "Either Sagittori just happens to be near Ensign Mellivenk at the time he's killed, then turns out to be the last person - other than her killer - who saw Lieutenant Rau, or the killer intended it that way, targeting Mellivenk and Rau on the basis of Sagittori's being associated or nearby at the time."

"Do we have any proof, though?" Baird's arms remained crossed, a clear signal that he wasn't accepting Tw'eak's hypothesis.

"I can show you the mission log from Omicron Kappa. Lieutenant Raxx and the captain were separated from Sagittori and Rau. They went together with the team from the _Tecumseh_ into the assimilated facility. They barely made it back out."

"Wait, so that means the captain's actually dead, then."

Downie gave a politely-smiling nod. "That's what's going to be the hardest about this. There's no way he would have survived - even if he were still alive on the planet, the Undine destroyed the whole world moments after the team beamed back."

"But can we verify that it's him? Maybe the beam-out will show something."

Tw'eak shook her head. "All the information we have about Undine infiltration suggests that they can reproduce whatever form is needed, right down to the DNA. But there are two things we can catch them out on - a microcellular scan is capable of detecting an Undine in disguise."

"They also need isomorphic injections to maintain their form," Downie continued. "So if we can find evidence of isomorphic injections being replicated, or having been used, even having multiple injection sites on a person's body would be a telltale sign."

"But getting close enough to scan for subcutaneous evidence means you might as well run the microcellular scan," Baird replied.

"Exactly." Tw'eak's eyes flitted around. "I'm not saying that Lieutenant Sagittori is free of suspicion completely. We can rule it out pretty conclusively by having him submit to a microcellular scan."

"That wouldn't take long," Downie replied, "if he's willing."

"And he'll be in the cage tonight, like we discussed earlier," Baird added. "I'll ask him if he's alright with it. If he turns out to have three legs, I'll let you know."

Tw'eak gave a nod. "I'd much rather settle this out in the brig than anywhere else, if we can help it. I can tell you first-hand that Undine are hard to kill." She rubbed her side.

"At least this one won't be assimilated," Baird joked.

"Fair point," Tw'eak said with a laugh. "There's one other thing. One of your people in security is Betazoid."

"Yeah, Ensign Redus." Baird gave a nod, his eyes unfocused. "She's a good kid."

"If we're right, she'll be the next one targeted." Downie's tone was unequivocal. "We can't let that happen."

"Absolutely not." Baird swept his hand across in a refuting motion. "Sally's one of our own - my responsibility. I'll see to it that she doesn't come to harm, if it kills me."

Tw'eak grimaced at Baird's expression. "Hopefully not."

"Hopefully not," Baird replied. "But so help me."

The use of the word 'responsibility' echoed in Tw'eak's mind. "It's funny... to think, away missions are supposed to be my responsibility."

"Commander?" Downie asked.

It was Tw'eak's turn to stare into the distance. "He shouldn't have led that mission. But I wanted him to. He - his first wife, she's been assimilated. It's... part of why he puts up this wall around him, this... barrier of indifference and scorn. It's why he had Raxx running all manner of experiments with Borg nanoprobes in the science lab."

"Wait," Downie said sharply, concerned. "That's a huge security risk." She looked to Baird.

"It's been checked," Baird, the chief of ship's security replied. "Everything's in stasis and the science lab's been sealed. Raxx had advised me of his experiments before he was killed, so we'd check in regularly to make sure. But he had orders, and clearance to proceed."

"Clearance that Captain Corlett happily gave him," Tw'eak continued. "Because the captain wanted to know that people could be saved after having been assimilated long-term, in the hopes that someday, they might be reunited."

"I wondered how much of that conversation you'd had with him," Downie said after Tw'eak finished. "It seems you know more about it than I did."

"It was the last thing we talked about - more like, the only thing we talked about - and we talked about it just before the mission. It's why I felt it was appropriate to let him beam down, just this once." Tw'eak's voice was tinged with regret. She looked at Baird. "I spent so much time harping at people lately - at Sagittori, at the engineers, at everyone - about how we can't afford to make exceptions, let things slide. And now, here I am, with an Undine in the captain's ready room..."

"I don't know who could've seen that coming," Baird replied, trying to reason with Tw'eak. "That's not on you, boss."

"Besides which," Downie continued, "let's say you had insisted and the captain stayed onboard. You would've led the mission, with the people you had, and the results would've been much the same."

"And there but for the grace of God..." Baird offered, in conclusion.

Tw'eak shuddered at the thought. It was true - what else exactly would she, could she have done? Caught between the Borg on one hand, and the Undine on the other, on the surface of a planet mere minutes from being annihilated? It was a terrifying prospect, one that she doubted she would've fared any better at dealing with, or for that matter, surviving.

"You can't let yourself dwell on what's happened," Downie stated in her best 'counselor' tone.

"Not if we're going to beat this thing," Baird added.

"No," Tw'eak replied after a moment. She straightened up on her seat. "No, I suppose you're right." She took a deep breath, her antennae stretching upwards. "We need to plan our next move very carefully." She looked to Baird. "I want you to take Lieutenant Sagittori into custody. If anyone asks, tell them you can't talk about it."

"Right." Baird was confused. "Won't that put undue suspicion upon him?"

"I'm counting on it." She looked to Downie. "I want you to get a name of a few members of our crew who are Bajoran."

"Bajoran?" It was Downie's turn to be confused. "I don't understand."

"I seem to remember them having a certain festival that happens annually, something about... giving thanks, and burning your troubles away."

"The Peldor festival, I believe it's called. Yes."

"I want to know everything there is about it. We need to stage one, on the holodeck."

"But why?" Downie asked.

"We're overdue for some sort of festive occasion on this ship. I think people need a chance to relax a bit, have a chance to enjoy themselves." Tw'eak waited a moment, then added, "Among other reasons. But tell the whole crew about it. I... have a plan, but I'll need that to be going on, first. If the Bajorans aren't willing, we'll do some other thing."

"It is almost Christmas time, back on Earth," Downie suggested. "That might work."

"Sure - but I need it to be a gathering, a big thing, that the crew want to attend." She pondered for a moment longer. "And I need to talk to engineering about beginning a replicator upgrade."

"That's been a while in coming," Baird chided. "Did you just notice how much charcoal is in the food product?"

Tw'eak tapped her lip. "I'm going to ask Chief Engineer Benso to oversee the upgrade team personally. It'll give his team something to do - and it'll give us a chance for him to scan the ship, deck by deck and room by room, for isomorphic injectors. We need to rule out the possibility of there being more than one of them aboard."

"You think they managed to beam another one of their own aboard?"

"No, and I don't see any clear signs to suggest they might've, but as I said, we need to rule it out."

"Plus, it might give us an idea of this particular Undine's habits," Downie pointed out. "If we can understand its particular psychology better, we might be better able to make sense of what it's doing - and what it's going to do next."

"We have to assume that it's hostile, paranoid with suspicion, and very unwilling to let anything get in its way. Its Undine senses are dormant, for now, since it's in human form. The moment it emerges from that, we'll have a security threat on our hands."

"I'll keep one of my response teams on full combat alert until notified otherwise," Baird advised.

"Good idea. We'll also need a portable arsenal - maybe housed here, in the shuttle. I'll talk to Chief Faso about that. If we do this, and it turns out the captain actually is an Undine, it'll fight. I don't want whoever's facing this thing to be unshielded with just a hand phaser on stun. We'll need to be prepared."

"What do you want in it?"

"Phaser rifles, at least three of them, set to fire high-density beams. They can shrug off lower settings. And a couple of pulsewave assault weapons. We'll need to knock it down."

"We're not getting in close," Baird added, his tone concerned. "Not if I can help it. We saw how well that worked last time you tried that."

"We've got home field advantage this time," Tw'eak said with a smile. "Let's make it count."

* * *

Tw'eak had been from the shuttlebay to the engineering deck, then to the transporter room. Everything was in place, and she was exhausted. She returned to her quarters to find Ensign Brienne Koepka standing at her door, a small kit over her shoulder.

"Ensign," Tw'eak said on approach. "You know, every time I come by this place, someone's already waiting for me."

"Jon said he talked to you," she said quietly. "And I need to talk to you."

Tw'eak ushered her through the door, after deactivating the lock. "Come in, then. You're welcome to stay."

"Are you sure?" Koepka put her kit on the table. "I don't want to be an inconvenience."

"The lieutenant explained your reasons. I think they're more than adequate."

"But Darren - Lieutenant Baird's taken him under arrest."

"I know." Tw'eak pursed her lips. "It's not something I can discuss."

"But he didn't do anything," Koepka protested, collapsing into a chair next to the table. "Commander, you have to believe me, he's - he's so torn up inside. He thinks this is all his fault. The mission on the planet, then you getting hurt on the Borg cube, and now these murders, Rau and the other guy, what's his name..."

Tw'eak sighed. "Ensign Mellivenk."

"Yeah. Him." Koepka looked about ready to cry. "God, this has just been the worst couple of weeks in my whole life."

"Me too - and I was decorated by the Romulan Republic partway through it," Tw'eak replied sarcastically.

"How was that bad?"

"I've never really been one for stuffy, formal occasions," she replied, seating herself across the table from Koepka. She indicated the replicator. "Can I get you something?"

"I - um. Sure, maybe a Vulcan spice tea."

"Computer, two Vulcan spice teas." The replicator whirred to life. "Here you are."

Koepka laughed. "I didn't think you'd care much for this stuff."

"Why, because I'm Andorian?"

"No, no - because you have that other stuff you drink, what'd you call it..."

"Katheka." Tw'eak smiled. "Yeah, not this close to bed." She took a sip - the temperature was fine, but the taste was a bit lacking. "I spent a little while living on Vulcan. I've had more of an appreciation of their culture ever since."

"You're not really like any other Andorian I've ever met," Koepka replied after taking a drink of her own tea.

"Really? Must be the hair." Tw'eak pointed to her tightly wound short ponytail, which was a darker shade of grey than the traditionally white hair of Andorians. This was a conscious choice of hers, since it allowed her to blend into most combat environments much more easily.

"No, no, I mean... you're so calm. Patient. Maybe it's the Vulcan influence. I don't know."

"Maybe." She smiled at Koepka. "You're not like any human I've ever known."

The ensign was astonished, gasping out a giggle. "What could possibly make you say that?"

"I don't know, but it seems Lieutenant Sagittori certainly knows."

The mention of Sagittori made Koepka put down her tea. "He doesn't want me to put in for the transfer. But I told him we'll be better off that way, in the long run. I'm worried about him, Commander, I really am. He's been so upset lately. I think it's all sort of getting to him. I... told him that maybe he should take some leave time, get away. But that was the day that Ensign... that the ensign was killed. So now he can't go anywhere. We're all just... trapped out here, with a killer onboard, apparently."

Tw'eak took a deep breath. "Listen, there are a lot of parts of that which - I'd love to be able to respond, meaningfully, tell you the truth. But I can't."

"I know, and that's the hardest part! God! I find out all the gossip and none of the truth. Nobody has any idea what's going on. They just know there's a killer on the loose. And they're being asked to monitor systems and perform maintenance like nothing's going on."

"Officially, that's what they're to know," Tw'eak replied tersely.

"But it's not fair. Their lives are at risk! My life is at risk."

"They're in Starfleet service. Risk is our business, as someone once said."

"James Kirk," Koepka replied, her tone automatic. "I read about the missions of the starship _Enterprise_ \- all of them - when I was growing up. One of the books I had, that was the title."

"Was it a good read?"

"Yeah, but... I don't know. Some of that stuff just sounds so hard to believe. There were how many planets that were exactly like Earth - and then they went out and met Abraham Lincoln, just floating out in space?"

Tw'eak shook her head. "I don't know who that is."

"He's from Earth, he was the president of - it doesn't matter. I'm just saying, there were a lot of those sorts of stories."

"Well, the mission logs should be available from the historical library computer files." Tw'eak took another sip of tea, content to remain on this tangent for as long as possible. Koepka could never tell - nor could she ever know - how much it was killing Tw'eak, too, to be like this, to be waiting for the next clue, or worse, the next murder. Now that she had formulated a plan - well, most of a plan, if she was honest - for her next move, she couldn't risk saying anything. It wasn't merely that Koepka might prove untrustworthy. But her conversation, even in her quarters, was probably being monitored. She was well aware of the risk, especially if her suspicions were correct. Besides, breaching others' privacy was a far lesser sin than murder, which the killer had already committed twice.

"That might be worth a look," Tw'eak continued.

"Yeah. It would be interesting to find out if there really are huge shuttle-smashing, spear-throwing aliens on Taurus II. Those used to give me nightmares. We had shuttles onboard the freighter - just two of them - and having to escape from a planet full of them in one of those finicky things would be a nightmare."

"I thought you liked shuttlecraft?"

"I like flying in them, not trusting them with my life. Starships are much safer!" Koepka laughed, then became wistful. "One time, Jon loaded a holodeck program, based on that mission, and I screamed and screamed, completely lost it." She made a snerking noise. "Those childhood fears, sometimes they're the hardest to leave behind."

Tw'eak chuckled. "I can remember my sister, Sassil, being terrified of ice bores."

"Ice bores?" Koepka inquired. "What are those?"

Tw'eak held up a finger. "They're about, this big. Endothermic - in a big way. They burn their way through the ice in swarms. We used to chase them around when we were kids. Not Sassil." She leaned forwards. "It wasn't that she personally had been burned by one - they could give you major, scalding burns if you touched them. It wasn't even that she had seen someone get burned by one, even. She read a story once, about Thy'lek Shran, one of our greatest heroes on Andoria."

"He played a major role in helping the Federation be created," Koepka remarked.

"He's also a distant relative, somehow." Tw'eak shrugged. "But Shran, as a child, stumbled into a den of the ice-bores. He was scorched over half his body. We - we never even came close to a den of them. They would just wriggle around, make holes in the ice big enough to squeeze through, then move - surprisingly quickly, too. Still, that was her fear."

"Is she still alive?" Koepka asked. "I know you said before you had a big family and they're mostly dead."

"No, Sassil was killed in action, about a year ago now, I think."

"I'm sorry."

Tw'eak smiled and took another sip of her tea. "Thanks." She looked around. "Anyway, you'll be fine here." She put the tea back in the replicator and went to lock the door. "I'll be around if you need anything."

"Okay. I don't snore, or talk in my sleep, or anything, so hopefully I'm not a bother."

Tw'eak put a hand on Koepka's shoulder. "The important thing is that you feel safe, and secure, here."

"Thanks. I... I do."

Tw'eak felt the exhaustion of the day catching up with her. "I'm going to turn in." She moved slowly to a table in the seating area of her quarters and found a padd. "This should help you find out more about those adventures you read about."

Koepka nodded, smiling. "Good night, Commander."

Tw'eak turned and shut the door to her bedroom with a "good night" of her own.


	40. Chapter 40

That night, Tw'eak had a dream. It wasn't typical for her to dream - she frequently slept too little to do much more than gasp when the computer signalled it was time for her to wake. But this night, a scene unfolded that she carried with her throughout the day.

She found herself stepping - or floating, as she was rarely conscious of her footfall in her dreams - onto the bridge of a starship. This bridge was wider than _Repulse_'s, but smaller than that of the Sovereign class USS _Nelson_, aboard which she had served for so long. In front of her was an admiral, whose welcoming expression - was it Admiral Quinn? Not quite the right shape of face, and not a Trill but a human - ushered her onto the bridge. It took little urging for her to take the captain's chair, but she hesitated, looking around at the empty stations behind her - tactical, operations, science, engineering - before she sat down. The instant she did, the bridge shifted - that of _Repulse_, ablaze, the sounds of her officers screaming, burning, and dying all around her. She turned to face aft, but found she couldn't get out of the chair. Something was tying her down, as if the seat had increased in gravity, and she saw hands reaching out to her, through the flames. The noise was unbearable, and she opened her mouth to scream-

She woke in the presence of someone in the room with her. Instinct kicked into overdrive, and she leapt from the bed, knocking down the person in front of her to the floor.

"Hey!"

She recognized the voice. "Computer, lights."

On the floor, one of Tw'eak's knees in either armpit, was Ensign Brienne Koepka. "What are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I told you - stay out of here."

"But something happened out there."

Tw'eak pulled herself up - the athleticism involved in vaulting into Ensign Koepka had hurt a lot more than she had anticipated. "Start talking."

"Someone came in!"

This got Tw'eak's attention. Her antennae flared outwards, aggressively. "Who?"

"I didn't see. But the door opened, and it woke me up. I didn't really know what was going on - I thought it was you at first, maybe you'd been called out and I hadn't heard you leave. So I said, 'Is that you, Commander?' And whoever it was, they took off. I called for the lights, but they were gone."

"Did you pursue?"

"I wasn't fast enough. By the time I got into the corridor, it was over."

Tw'eak reached for the console on the table next to her bed. "Sh'abbas to Baird."

It took a moment for the reply. "Baird here." The lieutenant sounded sleepy.

"Status report."

"Um... I was awake, for the record." There were some beeping noises. "Everything appears normal, ma'am. Except..."

"What is it?"

"I'm down in the brig with Ensign Redus. Internal sensors just flashed back online while I was checking status on the security console."

"Just flashed on? Wait." Tw'eak pivoted. "Sagittori's not there with you?"

"No, he went back to his quarters for a shower, before he goes on shift at oh-six hundred."

Tw'eak cursed to herself. So this wasn't the proof that she had hoped for. The whole point of Sagittori being in the brig was to help her rule out that he was an Undine. Now, another incident, and the lieutenant was a loose thread, yet again - without internal sensors to verify his whereabouts, as before. Despite Baird having done his job, Tw'eak felt profoundly disappointed, and exchanged glances with a confused Koepka. "Okay. I'm going to need you to send someone to my quarters - with a tricorder."

"What's going on?"

"Best I explain it to you when you get here. Sh'abbas out."

* * *

It took a little while for Lieutenant Baird to arrive, during which time Tw'eak and Koepka had both dressed in their uniforms. "I'm sorry, it took me a few minutes to get someone else to the brig. I didn't want to leave Redus in charge, in case - you know."

"Who's down there now?"

"Ensign Sanchez." Baird realized that both women were shaken. "What's going on?"

"Someone came in here," Koepka began.

"And you were here?" Baird's eyes shifted between the commander and the ensign.

"The ensign had cause for concern as to her safety. As it turned out, that might have been for the best."

"Wait. You - were both on the other side of a locked door?"

"In separate sections." Tw'eak indicated the seating area. "Ensign Koepka was there. I was in bed."

Baird pulled out his tricorder and took a scan of the door. "No signs of forced entry."

"So they just opened the door?" Koepka's eyes squeezed shut. "Oh, God."

"Looks like - hm." Baird took a step out into the corridor, still scanning. "Very little - this wasn't ten minutes ago, but I'm barely getting any trace of someone having walked through here." He shook his head. "Traces of human and Andorian DNA in the epithelials in the carpet, looks to be about six or seven hours old, but that's about it."

Tw'eak pursed her lips. "I see."

"Just a minute - let me check the door." He stepped out into the corridor for a moment.

"What does this mean?" Koepka asked Tw'eak.

Before Tw'eak could answer, Baird came through the door again. "Okay - this door was locked, right?"

"Yes. I made sure of it," Tw'eak replied.

"Okay. I'm going to go back out - I'll count to ten, come back in. As soon as I'm out, lock it."

"Got it," Koepka responded, following him to the door. Baird went out, and Koepka engaged the door lock. "Do I tell him?"

"Or we'll hear a thud," Tw'eak quipped.

But there was no thud. The door opened, and Baird stepped into the doorway. "Ohhh, shit," Koepka muttered.

Baird scanned again, still in the doorway. "This is - what the hell?" He looked at Tw'eak. "Commander, the tricorder shows the lock is engaged. It shouldn't have opened."

Tw'eak tapped her commbadge. "Sh'abbas to bridge."

"Bridge," a male voice replied. "Delano here."

"Lieutenant, what's the status of internal sensors?"

"They went offline about ten minutes ago for sixty seconds, but I caught it this time."

"That explains why they came online when I was looking at them," Baird added.

Tw'eak pointed to the doorway. "My quarters - the connecting corridor - who was in it before they went offline?"

"Checking the logs..." There was a pause, and several noises from the bridge. "I'm not seeing anyone there."

"The door lock was overridden somehow."

"No, ma'am, I'm showing the door lock currently to be engaged."

Tw'eak couldn't mask her frustration from her voice. "Yes, we know. Lieutenant Baird is currently standing in the doorway, having stepped in from the outside."

"That's not..." Delano hesitated. "That shouldn't possible, ma'am."

"Commander, this is V'Sar." The Vulcan operations officer's voice was uncomfortably tranquil. "I will conduct an internal diagnostic on both the door and the internal sensors to determine how this is possible."

"Do it. Bring whatever you find out to the shuttlebay - in person."

"I apologize," V'Sar replied, "but I must ask you to confirm previous request."

"Forget it." Tw'eak knew what the scans and diagnostics would all show. Nothing to suggest otherwise - the door should be locked, tight and secure, just like the corridor would show to have been empty, and the internal sensors would show no cause for the apparent fault which forced them into a maintenance cycle. At least this time, Delano had been able to bring them online fairly rapidly. "I want all the internal sensor logs delivered to me, in person, by Lieutenant Delano, in the shuttlebay, by..." She narrowed her eyes. "What time is it currently?"

"Oh-five-forty-seven," V'Sar replied.

"By oh-six-hundred. Continuous feed - both sides of the gap in the internal sensors, for half an hour."

"On it," Delano replied.

"May I inquire as to how I may be of assistance?" V'Sar asked, her voice sounding slightly forlorn.

Tw'eak gave an involuntary smile in response. She had been intentionally leaving V'Sar in the dark - her logical mind and approach to this investigation would have been welcome, but Tw'eak had needed the operations officer to run the ship in her absence, and besides, if V'Sar knew too much, she could find herself in harm's way, much as Tw'eak apparently had. "I may have some questions for you and Lieutenant Delano later, but for right now, just carry on as you have been. I find it reassuring to know that daily shipwide operations remain in your capable hands while we're sorting all of this out."

"Noted," came V'Sar's reply - Tw'eak thought perhaps she detected a note of pride in her voice. "Bridge out."

Tw'eak then turned to Koepka. "You should get to the bridge as well."

"I'm not on duty for two more hours, though."

Tw'eak turned to Baird. "I'll meet you at the office?"

"If I can replicate some coffee first, that'd be great."

An icy note that Tw'eak didn't want echoed in her voice. "There's a replicator in the shuttle."

"Right, right." Baird looked in the corridor. "You don't want me to stay?"

"No, whoever it was, they won't risk anything while the internal sensors are active." Tw'eak then turned to Koepka. "That's where you come in. I want you - quietly - to bring up a monitoring screen on your console. If the internal sensors go out, at any time, I want to hear about it."

Koepka laughed. "Not much else going on at the helm. I can do that."

Tw'eak raised a hand. "And not a word of what's happened - to anyone. I... know it shook us both up. I'll talk to Counselor Downie - same with you. And no one else."

"Okay. Jon wouldn't believe this happened anyway."

The mention of Lieutenant Sagittori made Tw'eak look to Lieutenant Baird, who avoided her eyes. "Let's get going."

* * *

By oh-six-hundred, the shuttlecraft _Neruda_ was practically full. On one side of the shuttle sat Lieutenants Carl Delano and Darren Baird. Delano had a padd in his lap with the data from internal sensors. On the other side sat Chief Faso and Lieutenant Commander Sal Benso, while in the forward seating, Tw'eak and Counselor Gwen Downie turned their chairs aft.

"According to the sensor data," Delano began, "Lieutenant Sagittori made his way from the brig, on deck five, up to deck four, and was in his quarters when the internal sensors went out."

"What about the other senior officers?"

Delano blinked. "Um..." He brought up the padd. "Lieutenant Commander V'Sar was on the bridge. Doctor Ogilvie was ... in her quarters." He looked to Benso. "So was Commander Benso."

"Me too," Chief Faso added. "Not that I'm a senior officer, but I was just waking up."

"We all were," Counselor Downie replied. She tapped Tw'eak on her knee. "We should talk about this, when there's a chance."

Tw'eak ignored her. "Ensign Koepka was in my quarters at the time."

"She was?" Delano looked startled.

"She was ...overly sensitive to recent events," Downie responded. "She requested an alternative accommodation for the night, and the commander obliged."

"Um, okay." He returned to the padd. "That just leaves Jon and you, Darren. And you were... both in the brig, it says."

"Yes. Lieutenant Sagittori was placed in temporary custody, in connection with the investigation."

"You think Jon did it?" Delano's face was incredulous.

"That's not for us to discuss," Tw'eak said in her coolest professional tone. "What about the captain?"

"Well, it... he should have been in his ready room, I guess, maybe, but..." Delano trailed off.

The five other officers all bore down on Delano. "Well?" Benso finally asked. "Spit it out, Carlo."

Squirming, Delano reckoned with the reality. "Look, about... a week ago, I think, Corlett comes out, hot as hell, all bothered about us taking scans of his ready room. Says there's important research - confidential stuff, you realize - like, vital stuff only he knows about, and that he doesn't want reported on the sensor logs."

"Did he offer specifics?" Tw'eak asked.

"No, even when Commander V'Sar straight-up asked him. He was all like, 'not your concern, Commander, need to know...' and all that."

Baird gave a laugh. "You do a good Corlett."

"You should hear my Oglivie sometime." Delano caught himself, and looked at Downie. "Sorry, I shouldn't say that."

"No worries," Downie replied. "Let's hear your Benso."

"Hey!" Benso exclaimed. "I'm right here!"

Tw'eak waved away the camaraderie in the air. "Run that by me again, Lieutenant. The captain requested that internal sensors to his ready room be disconnected?"

"That's right. Because of the nature of his research he was doing in there. V'Sar went in a couple times, to give him status reports and stuff." Delano looked at Downie. "And I think you went in and out a couple times too."

Downie nodded. "Updates on the investigation."

"And V'Sar said she didn't see any sign of any research underway. Of course, she wasn't about to just ask him about it. That'd be a death sentence."

Tw'eak cringed at the lieutenant's choice of phrase. "I want you to go back to the bridge. Trace every last route - every sensor, internal or external, onboard. I want to find out if there are any other sensor 'shadows' we need to know about. Whatever you find, report it to myself, the counselor, or Lieutenant Baird, in person - nothing over comms."

"Whoa, you guys are serious."

"It's a murder investigation, Carl," Baird replied acidly.

"On your way." Tw'eak nodded at Delano, and the lieutenant departed.

* * *

Once Delano had left, Tw'eak turned to the remaining officers. "So," she began. "This puts us in something of a bind. Until we can definitely say, it's Sagittori, or it's the captain... we can't trust either of them."

Baird gritted his teeth. "I hate to say it, ma'am, I really do. But I like Sagittori."

"Didn't know you felt that way about him," Benso joked.

"I mean I think he's the Undine."

"Did you manage to take a microcellular scan of him yet?" Downie asked.

"No," Baird replied. "I explained to him that it could help us rule him out, but he wouldn't take it unless you were there, Commander."

Tw'eak took a deep breath. "I wish you'd told me that earlier. I would've come right down."

"I didn't want to wake you."

"You're awful considerate for someone who's got a murderer under lock and key." Faso's bright yellow eyes glared daggers at Baird. "Not only do you put off scanning him, but you let him walk away."

"He wasn't being held in actual custody," Baird retorted. "Besides which, that was the deal we had. I can't just scan him - he has rights."

"That would've given him just enough time for an isomorphic injection before he went to the bridge for his shift. How convenient."

"Nah," Benso interrupted. "Jon's clean. It's the captain." He slugged himself in the chest. "I can feel it - I'd swear it on my mother's grave, that it's him."

"Doesn't make any sense for it to be him," Baird countered. "He's a weird guy, I'll give you that, but there have been plenty of weirdos in Starfleet without any harm over the years. And we know he had a vested interest in the Borg."

"He shuts down internal sensors to his little hidey-hole and you don't find that suspicious?" Benso's eyes were wide with disbelief, his hands gesturing about as he spoke. "With a Vulcan right outside his door? No freakin' way. V'Sar is way too sharp to let that slip by her."

"Not saying it isn't suspicious, Sal. But he could be telepathically blocking her." Baird gave a best-guess kind of shrug.

"It's true," Downie added. "We know from previous experiences with Undine infiltration that while they don't have a full range of telepathy, they can impede people's telepathic senses at short ranges. It's how the Undine that posed as Ambassador Sokketh went undetected on a planet full of Vulcans."

"And it's how Rau got killed," Faso noted.

Benso was having none of it. "He wants us to think it's Jon. But that guy's the same Jon Sagittori I've known for - how many years we all been aboard, Darren?"

"Wouldn't matter - they'd know everything."

"He's right," Faso said, indicating Baird. "They get your memories, too, the whole thing."

"Look." Benso was growing agitated. "I went over that mission with Jenkins - three times."

Tw'eak leaned forward. "Where did you do that?"

"In my office." Benso gave a wounded expression. "What?"

"I told you to assume that everything we say can be monitored." Tw'eak bit her lip. "Did you reach any conclusion?"

"Well, yeah. Kind of. I don't know. Jon and Dyra were running up the hill, right? Past the Undine. To where the captain was. Kinda makes sense that they would've had time to body-snatch the captain, then destroy any trace of the body."

"But what about Lieutenant Raxx?" Faso asked.

"Raxx was nobody. Undine didn't need him. Captain's rank counts for a lot more than 'science officer'. Besides, most people thought Raxx was shifty enough as it was."

"It's true," Downie replied. "He made a lot of people uncomfortable. He could be very unruly off-duty."

Baird was incredulous. "You're telling me that they managed to figure out that, nope, we don't want this one - take that one - and they took the captain's form, all in a manner of minutes?"

"A lot more believable than them snatching Jon. Look at the log if you don't believe me."

"I want to go back to the part where you were reviewing evidence without approval," Tw'eak interrupted. "You could've imperilled the whole investigation, if your conversation with Jenkins was being monitored."

"See, and we thought of that, which was why we disconnected the room first." Benso beamed at Tw'eak. "Undine's not the only one who can cut sensors off. Took the whole room off the grid - even the life support, just in case! And we scanned for listening devices and everything. Trust me, I'm more afraid of you than I am any killer creature from fluidic space." Benso then burst out into a hearty laugh, which Faso joined in after a moment. It was a brief moment, as Tw'eak's face cut short their humourous response. "I, y'know, with all due respect, ma'am," Benso blurted out.

Tw'eak continued to stare at Benso harshly as Downie began to speak. "Regardless, we have to presume that the Undine is aware of who's involved in the investigation." Downie leaned towards Tw'eak. "That said, even if he was overheard, he's not leading this investigation."

"It's a fair point, ma'am," Baird continued. "Even if Sal came in here and said, 'bam, we got him', that's just his best guess."

"What, you doin' imitations now, too, Darren?" Benso quipped.

Baird continued. "A scan would be far more conclusive. Both Sagittori and the captain knew you as a by-the-book sort of officer. They wouldn't expect you to act rashly on the basis of any one person's suspicion. It's low threat - but the killer definitely sees you as the threat, not him. Or Jenkins."

Tw'eak nodded. "Alright." She remained fixed in a stare at Benso. "But that doesn't happen again, understood?"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Jenkins and Laswarb are leading the replicator upgrade squads today. They're starting on deck four - just like you said. They'll have quality scans of every last inch of Sagittori's quarters before lunch."

"Good." She turned to Downie. "When does the festival begin?"

"We'll be celebrating the Peldor festival beginning at fifteen-hundred this afternoon. I'll go up and talk to everyone on the bridge, and encourage their attendance. Sagittori and the captain alike."

Tw'eak's antennae turned skyward, and she looked to Baird. "I want a security team there, somewhere on the holodeck."

"I've got Redus and Sanchez on that," Baird replied. He pointed one hand towards the other, indicating a unified pair. "They're under orders not to be apart from each other at all, under any circumstances, until I tell them otherwise, by the way."

"Good idea."

"But they'll be setting up the festival program to include remote sensors in the decorations. We'll be able to get microcellular scans of everyone we want. If you wanted, we could scan everyone, in case there's something we've missed."

Tw'eak shook her head. "That'd be a step beyond what I think would be called for. Unless both scans come back negative. Then we have to start looking a little harder."

"It may be that both scans come back negative," Baird replied. "We don't know that the Undine haven't found a way to deal with that vulnerability."

It was Downie's turn to shake her head. "No, that method works. It's uncovered at least three Undine infiltration attempts in the past two years. But there was sufficient suspicion in all three cases to warrant a direct scan."

Tw'eak leaned forward. "Commander," Faso asked, "if you want, I can rig a remote beam-out - if one of those scans verifies that we've got an Undine, we can have them in the brig before they know it."

Baird nodded. "That would be the safest method. Confronting an Undine, in an open space like a holodeck could provide... with all those crew members in the way, it could get ugly."

Tw'eak nodded. "Be ready." She looked at Baird. "I want you in the brig, standing by, when we do this." She then looked to Faso. "And I want you on the holodeck with Sanchez and Redus. The moment either of them gets a positive... there's no time to lose."

Faso gave a look of steely resolve. "I'll see if we can stash some pattern enhancers around the edges of the holodeck - just in case I need to set them up."

"Or ask them to work in a pattern enhancement field into the whole holodeck," Baird replied.

"Yeah, that's probably a cleaner way to do it," the Saurian said, nodding.

"I'll go check on my guys," Benso said, rising to leave. Baird and Faso moved to follow.

Tw'eak gave each a curt nod. "Let me know how it goes. I'm... going to try to keep a low profile for today. I'm sure you can understand why."

Baird gave Tw'eak an apologetic look. "Haven't exactly done my best work the past few hours. I'll get it right."

Tw'eak gave Baird a sincere smile. "You're too hard on yourself. Do what you can."

Once the hatch closed, Tw'eak looked to Downie. "What's your schedule look like for today?"

Downie blew out her cheeks. "Full. Especially with going deck to deck, to invite everyone to the festival. Why?"

"When you get a minute, we should talk." Tw'eak threw her chin towards the door. "Like you mentioned before."

Downie stood and moved towards the hatch, then turned to Tw'eak. "You got it." Then she departed, leaving Tw'eak alone.


	41. Chapter 41

The day passed slowly for Tw'eak. The shock of having her quarters broken into was a hard one to shake. But really, the exhaustion she felt - at everything - overwhelmed her. So, after adjusting the internal environmental controls and replicating herself a blanket and pillow, she stretched out on the port side of the shuttle _Neruda_, as comfortably as she could manage, she rested. After a minute, she got back up, took a hand phaser from the onboard weapons station, and rested with the phaser in her lap. There was comfortable, and then there was securely comfortable. She checked to ensure the safety was still on, several times, as she rested.

She made a point of listing, intentionally, all the things she wasn't doing right at that moment. She was not on the bridge. She was not in uniform (not fully - her jacket and boots were off, the jacket draped on the chair, the boots on the ground). She was not checking in with Lieutenant Baird, or Lieutenant Commander Benso, or anyone else, about the investigation. This, to her, was the least unacceptable part of not doing anything - being so deeply involved in so necessarily secretive an investigation as this was hard enough, and she needed a break while things were still developing. But there were readiness drills to run, crew evaluations to complete, reviews of procedures and duty rotations, hundreds of other things - all of which had taken a back seat to the investigation.

Then there was the extremely limited time she actually had for herself, not that she cared, but her physical recovery had also been put on hold by the breach of her quarters. This seemed as good a place as any for a brief spell of convalescence. The shuttle also had the advantage of being far more secure than quarters, being entirely self-contained. So she settled in and gave herself permission to relax. As far as threat analysis went, this was the best available option for personal security. And the knowledge that the investigation's files and recorded conversations were all onboard as well meant that information, too, would be safe in here. So she stretched out, tossed the blanket over her lower half, and perched her pillow on a low bulge in the shuttle's aft wall. It was fortunate that she wasn't very tall, since she was able to fully extend, antennae to toes, without any difficulty. For a while, she remained motionless but awake, her mind refusing to let go of crew evaluations as an idea. By the time she had worked through about thirty crew members, she felt herself starting to nod off. With one last check of the hand phaser's safety setting, she drifted away.

That was when the commbadge on her jacket sounded. Or time may have passed - it was hard to tell. Unimpressed, she reached to the uniform jacket behind her to signal herself ready to reply.

"M'Rann to Sh'abbas," the Caitian flight deck officer said.

Tw'eak muttered grumpily. The hand phaser was upside-down on the ground, so she picked it up with one hand and hit her commbadge with the other. "Sh'abbas."

"You still in the shuttle, ma'am? I was just going to head down to the mess for a few, I need to secure the shuttlebay."

"I don't see myself going anywhere for some time," Tw'eak said with a smile.

There was a pause. "This might be a good time for you to take a break, yourself, no?"

"I can't," Tw'eak said, stretching her arms. "I need to attend to certain matters of vital importance in here. I'll be fine until you return. Just let me know once you're back."

"Alright. Can I get you anything from there?"

Tw'eak hesitated before responding, to ensure there was no tone of annoyance in her voice. She checked the safety again - still on. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm expecting to be busy with this for a few more hours."

"Okay. Containment field's in place. I can release it once I've returned."

"Gotcha. Sh'abbas out." And then, she was.

* * *

It was some time later that Tw'eak felt herself being gently nudged, called to in a familiar voice. "Hey, Commander."

She looked up and reacted quickly, grabbing the wrist of the person in front of her and twisting it over into a hold. There was a squeal, and Tw'eak realized she was holding Counselor Downie's wrist, inverted, in her hand. She immediately let go. "Sorry."

"No, that's okay," Downie said, rubbing her wrist with her other hand. "I probably should've known better. Lieutenant M'Rann said you were in here." Tw'eak noticed that the hatch was still open, and Downie stepped down the ramp to wave to M'Rann with her uninjured hand. "It's okay, she's still here."

"I fell asleep," Tw'eak murmured as she straightened up.

"That's a good thing. You have every right to be tired." Downie went back into the shuttle and closed the hatch, handing Tw'eak her uniform jacket.

"Thank you," Tw'eak said as she reached for it, once her boots were on. "I tend to do better when I'm fully rested."

"We all do. But this wasn't just a restless night." She sat at the front, while Tw'eak sat back down. "I want you to know that you're free to go back to laying down, if you like."

Tw'eak shook her head. "I embarrassed myself. The lieutenant-"

"M'Rann understood perfectly. I told her you were probably here because you wanted to be free to work and rest in alternating measure, as you needed it. She understands."

"Still - it was unprofessional of me." She stood up and took a few paces back and forth. "And your hand - I'm sorry. Bad habit of mine."

"Commander, really. You're pushing yourself far harder than anyone else would."

"That's..." Tw'eak stopped, then moved to sit in the other chair of the forward compartment, while Downie crossed her legs and took up her 'listening' stance. "You're going to make a big deal about this, I'd imagine."

"Which part - you pushing yourself too hard, or you having your privacy violated?"

Tw'eak chuckled. "Well, when you put it like that..."

"I just met with Ensign Koepka. She's ...an interesting person in her own right. But she really admires you. She's shocked by what happened, but I think it has more to do with the thought that anyone would come after you."

"It happens. Nobody's succeeded yet," Tw'eak replied.

"No, and given how you tend to deal with people who wake you up, I'm betting it would've been a good fight." Downie glanced over Tw'eak's shoulder at the phaser on the aft bench. "Especially now that you're armed."

"Oh. I forgot that was even there." Tw'eak got up to put the phaser away, but Downie waved her to sit down. "I'm sorry."

"Just glad you didn't get a chance to use it." Downie leaned in slightly. "But there a lot of things I'm glad didn't happen, and I want you to know that everyone I've spoken to, the few who know what happened... they're pretty mad about it."

Tw'eak frowned. "So am I." She shook her head. "The killer would've had to know that there was nothing to be gained by silencing me."

"On the contrary, I think it would've ended very badly for us if you'd been his next victim." Downie raised both eyebrows. "Especially given that I would've been next on his list."

"That's true."

"But there was a reason you were chosen first. You're the greater threat."

Tw'eak nodded grimly. "In some ways, I've been a threat to everyone since I came aboard, in some way or another."

"What makes you say that?"

"Oh, come on. This ship was not in a good place. Professionally, the standards were low. Efficiency ratings were awful, by Starfleet standards. Morale was bad, and the whole ship just seemed to be lurching from crisis to crisis. Who's sleeping with who, who's calling whom by some name... such kid stuff. They should all be better than this." Tw'eak shook her head. "They needed someone who could hold them to a higher expectation."

"Which was where you came in," Downie replied.

"How the hell did you manage?" Tw'eak asked. "I mean, you've been ship's counselor onboard for years and years."

"It's true. I have been." The counselor shrugged. "Maybe I just got used to it, just let it stop bothering me. I don't know. After a while you kind of realize that, as therapy goes, you can only help those who want your help. Everyone else will re-interpret, ignore, fabricate whatever they wanted to hear, and think it came from you." She shrugged. "It gets exhausting. So, I just listened. And what I heard, I reported to the captain if I needed to, but for the rest, a few questions and the occasional nudge in the right direction was all I could do."

"So why didn't anyone else try to change things?"

"Your predecessor, Commander Freitag... was something else." Downie's voice lowered, and a snarling sort of sigh came from her throat. "He and Captain Corlett hated each other - openly. There was never anything that happened, any issue where they couldn't find discord. Every decision became an argument. Usually, Freitag won through sheer persistance, but it led us where we were when you arrived - everyone reacted accordingly. V'Sar kept people focused on-duty, but Benso and his team, Sagittori and Koepka, Dr. Ogilvie's involvement with the commander... a lot of it, I'm sorry to say, was beyond my ability to fix."

"Is that why Freitag was reassigned?"

"Mostly. But it took a lot longer than we expected. I think it's because Captain Corlett couldn't bring himself to play the game and sell Freitag as the next best thing, bring Starfleet to see him as someone who needed to be reassigned. The thing was, with - Mina Ogilvie is such a stupid woman, I'm sorry."

The sudden candour took Tw'eak aback. "Well. Okay, then."

"No, you know what? Maybe I'm not sorry. I realize I'm talking openly to a superior officer, but she is absolutely the worst doctor I have ever known. She and I have never seen eye to eye on anything. And whenever she needed to, she could always get her way - by going to Freitag. And they in turn could leverage the captain - she was chief medical officer; he was first officer. And the captain was emotionally compromised. Everyone knew that. It's plain as day."

"But why wouldn't Starfleet have intervened?"

"No one reported it. I tried - once. Freitag about took my head off. Summoned me to the bridge and just laid into me. Chain of command, this and that. Raxx got angry with him for some reason right at the same time, and the two of them would've come to blows right there on the bridge, if V'Sar hadn't stepped in." Downie sighed. "The truth is, no one wants to hear about it at Starfleet. There's a war on. And like it or not, everyone had something they were getting away with onboard. They were all comfortable with their little positions of importance. And they kept it that way, because no one could roust them out of their happy little ruts."

"What was in it for you, then?"

The question hung in the air for a moment, Downie offering a sideways glance to Tw'eak. "Me?" she finally asked.

"You." Tw'eak sensed Downie to be at a disadvantage and leaned in. "You've got a ship of fools on your hands, and you're the one to counsel them. Why?"

Downie's mouth hung open, as she looked for what to say. "I... don't know what to tell you."

"The truth." Tw'eak crossed her arms. "If you want, I could guess."

Downie's mouth closed, her eyes darting around. "It made an interesting series of case studies."

"You've been publishing about them, then."

"I..." The counselor wrinkled her nose. "Actually, I've been trying to negotiate a deal for some time."

Once again, Downie's words put Tw'eak off-balance. "What kind of deal?"

"Let's face it, Commander. This ship is a holo-novel, full of romance and intrigue, people in danger. As a counselor, it's a right mess - but as an author... well, it's a regular inspiration."

"You're turning this into a holo-novel," Tw'eak repeated, unsure she could believe what she'd heard.

"Yes. I have a series of stories knit together - I changed names, even the species in certain cases - and the starship class as well, though I do struggle with the engineering part of it." She looked at Tw'eak, her eyes full of terror. "It's the only escape I can really count upon."

"And does this story of yours feature, say, a first officer who's, I don't know, blue-skinned, from a cold planet? Who insists on following established procedures?"

"No, actually - I haven't gotten that far. I'm still working with all the material I got from before. I'm not a terribly fast writer, and I end up revising and re-revising until I don't feel I've gotten anything done, and put it all aside again." Downie shook her head. "I can't believe I'm telling you this, actually."

Tw'eak took a deep breath. "Honestly, it's not as bad as I was expecting, as far as secrets go."

"Really?"

"I was waiting for the part where someone from sickbay was stealing narcotics or something."

Downie was thrilled. "That does make a good plot twist! Can I use that?"

Tw'eak waved a hand, dismissively. "If you like."

"I promise I'll leave you out of it, maybe until the very end when they all get carted off to a penal planet or something."

"Appreciated." Tw'eak looked outwards. "Computer, time?"

"Current ship's time is fifteen-oh-six."

"Oh!" Downie bounced in her chair. "I should get down to Holodeck Two. Are you coming? The Peldor festival is going to begin shortly."

"Right." The festival - and the microcellular scans it was covering for - was a key part of the ongoing investigation. With luck, the true identity of the Undine would be revealed there. "Is everything coming into place?"

"Yes. The two ensigns and Chief Faso ran a few test scans earlier, and the whole holodeck is running a transporter pattern-enhancing field as part of the program. Once the scan shows either of them to be who we think they are, swoop! and they're in the brig."

Tw'eak nodded. "Alright. Let's get down there and look as normal as we can."

"I'm actually kind of thrilled I got to tell you. It's not like anyone else would care. I wonder if I could use a festival like this for something in my story. Let me tell you how it starts..."

As Tw'eak left the shuttle with Downie, securing its hatch as they left, she began to wonder if she was as thrilled to hear about the counselor's holo-novel in the making as the counselor clearly was to share every sordid detail.


	42. Chapter 42

"_Peldor joi_!"

The traditional greeting, from Ensign Day Laran, came into Tw'eak's ears just as she entered the holodeck. The details were exact - a perfect representation of a traditional Bajoran village. "And to you as well, Ensign."

"I wanted to thank you for coming up with this idea," the Bajoran ensign said to Tw'eak and Counselor Gwen Downie, who was beside her. "I haven't had much of a chance to celebrate my faith during my service, outside of with those of my own people I serve with." The dark-haired Day looked skyward. "It almost feels like home."

"You've changed a few things since I was here last," Downie noted. "The banners, for instance."

"Yes. We didn't want to have them up before the festival began. Feels more authentic that way." Day placed his hand on the nearest pillar. "But of course, what's authentic isn't the stone or the _bateret_, but our faith in the Prophets to guide us."

Tw'eak smiled appreciatively. "Indeed. Bajor is... it's a place I've read so much about, and now, with the Gamma Quadrant at its doorstep, it's one of the Federation's most vital strategic points."

"To me, it's home. I remember a holo-recording of the Kai, once, having told a Starfleet officer she served with that to her, this was no 'frontier', it was the place she had fought to liberate, for all of us." Day shrugged. "I myself have no experience of the Occupation, but I consider myself fortunate to have heard the voices of so many who did, to know what they endured, in faith and in sorrow."

"I would consider those stories to be rather unfortunate in their details, though," Tw'eak inquired, slightly confused.

"Oh, to be sure, but for me, reconciliation is more important than revenge, as the Prophets taught us. As is also, with the Gratitude Festival." Day gestured around him. "I apologize. I must sound like a vedek, but this... simulation has given me a way to express my heritage like I very seldom can. We treat faith as a private thing, in the Federation, as a choice. In Starfleet, that's necessary - there are so many faiths, so many peoples with sometimes hundreds of belief systems between them." He gave a slight bow. "I want you both to know that I, personally, am grateful for the opportunity to show my crewmates what this means to me."

Before Tw'eak or Downie could respond, Day gave a smile, and turned to leave. After a moment, Downie spoke. "He's serving as Presider - he'll have a lot of things to do, and when the festival opens, he'll light the fire that burns the first renewal scroll."

Tw'eak took a few steps into a central plaza, where a series of bowls and tubes were erected in the centre between two of the Gratitude Festival banners. "And anyone can participate?"

"Yes. Burning the scroll in the ceremonial fire - it's like watching your troubles fade away. Their belief is that the Prophets come to their aid in carrying away those troubles. Closure."

Tw'eak nodded, taking a deep breath, the aroma of _bateret_ incense powerfully strong. "Putting things behind you - let's hope that, before long, we can put this investigation behind us."

"Agreed," Downie said with a smile. "We should check with our 'insiders'."

Tw'eak stepped aside, into an alcove of the plaza. She tapped her commbadge. "Sh'abbas to Faso."

"Faso, go ahead."

"Your team is ready?"

"And standing by."

Tw'eak looked to Downie. "They're both coming, right?"

"I talked to them both," the counselor replied. "Sagittori led me to believe that he would be here once Ensign Koepka was available. And the captain grumbled a bit, but told me he'd find the time."

"So we've got a while to wait, then."

"We do." Downie smiled, her eyes bright. "Plenty of time to mingle about, maybe even write a renewal scroll of your own."

"Honestly, I think staying in public places and not being alone sounds like a good plan, right now, for me."

"I won't be able to keep you company for long - I have to get back for an appointment at sixteen-hundred - but... Just try to remember how this looks, alright?"

Tw'eak looked at Downie, concerned. "What do you mean?"

"You're the senior presiding officer. I'm betting Ensign Mora and Lieutenant Bol will be just as eager to tell you how happy they are to be here, for many of the same reasons Ensign Day did. Others might say they're grateful for you."

A scoffing noise came in reply from Tw'eak.

"That's what I'm talking about. Remember how that looks. You may not realize it, Commander, but your presence here - actually mingling with your crew, actually caring about who they are - it's an experience none of them will ever have otherwise experienced."

"I take it that wasn't very high on the priority list of my predecessor."

"I think it's safe to say that people were in better spirits when he wasn't around, yes," Downie said, perhaps less cryptically than intended. "Or rather, because he wasn't around."

"No, I got your meaning the first time," Tw'eak said with a laugh. "Alright. I'll be on my best behaviour."

"Please do. And have fun. Until someone particular shows up, you're just here to celebrate, like everyone else."

Tw'eak nodded. "Except not," she added in a mutter.

"I heard that." Downie smiled and shook her head. "You're horrible at this."

"I know." Tw'eak put on a polite smile of her own, and turned to the crowd.

Against her own instincts, Tw'eak took the counselor's advice, and remained at the festival for quite some time. It wasn't a bad move, seeing as anyone who tried to harm her would be doing so in plain sight of at least twenty-plus individuals, all of whom answered to her, but it made her incredibly anxious to have to negotiate her way around. After a time spent wandering back and forth around the central plaza, Tw'eak found a seating area where drinks and other accommodations were available, and settled in with her back to the nearest wall, a glass of _karvino_ juice in hand. It wasn't her usual style, but she wasn't really drinking it all that fast, and besides, it gave her a wonderful opportunity to just listen in and not be noticed.

At the table furthest from her, but directly in front of her, sat two Tellarite officers, arguing in typical fashion about some arcane detail or another. An empty table in between her and the Tellarites had a soft candle burning at its centre, a feature Tw'eak would've enjoyed at her own table, if only for some kind of focus. To her left were three officers, apparently playing some variety of word game that Tw'eak didn't follow - one of the three was quite soft-spoken, making it hard to listen in. And the table to her immediate right was also empty, although not for long.

Two officers, a male human in an engineering uniform whom Tw'eak didn't know, the other a male Trill from security whom Tw'eak recognized as Ensign Pren Roban, sat at the table. Both had drinks and packets of Lorvan crackers - a replicated delicacy whose taste Tw'eak had never enjoyed. "Isn't this great?" the human technician said to Roban.

"Yeah," Roban replied. "Always nice to get a break from the usual."

Neither of them appeared to notice Tw'eak sitting at the table right behind them, a fact that Tw'eak took no steps to correct.

"So what's new with you?" Roban asked the technician.

"Oh, you know. Lots and lots of nothing at all." The technician laughed. "I really wish we could put into a starbase. Chief tells me I'm the next one due for shore leave."

"Yeah, but you know how it is."

"Figures. Some stupid thing happens, next thing you know, I'm stuck onboard when I could be seeing what's out there."

"That's what we're here for," Roban said with a laugh. "To see the universe."

"Universe looks a lot like a cargo bay to me, then," the technician joked.

"I'd imagine it does," Roban replied. "You oughta use those big black round things on occasion, y'know, what do they call 'em... viewports?"

The technician gave Roban a sharp look, then burst into laughter. "Nah! Viewports are for officers!"

Roban took a drink from his glass. "What? You've never stopped to take a look outside. Seriously, Casey, you worry me sometimes."

The technician Roban had identified as Casey gave an exaggerated shrug. "What can I tell you, it's not really my thing."

"What, space?"

"Yeah." It was Casey's turn to drink. "Space."

"Then... why join Starleet?" Roban shook his head. "You make no sense sometimes."

"Nah, makes total sense. I'm out here, my cargo bay's in order, captain doesn't come down on me for anything... life is pretty sweet. Lot less chances to get in trouble when you're in a cargo bay. But I go putting my head out the viewport, and look around, and then boom - stuff comes back at me, trouble I don't want."

"Stuff would do that anyway."

"Oh, sure," Casey said, taking another drink. "But maybe it's not at me - just me. And if it is, hey, the cargo bay's still neat and tidy? Then my work here is done."

Roban shook his head. "You spend an awful lot of time worrying about that cargo bay."

"Well, I need to - it's my job, Pren." Casey drew a sharp breath. "Besides which, they put you in charge of something, and just like that, before you know it, that thing, whatever it is? It gets to be in charge of you."

"You don't really believe that."

"Yeah, I do - because it keeps me honest. Look, when I was... before I joined up, back home? No direction, no purpose, just a lot of grief. And a lot of trouble. One day, someone says to me, hey, you're pretty good at running a place - day-to-day like, you see - but you keep going out of business. What about getting a freighter gig? Run the cargo?"

"So what'd you do?" Roban asked.

"I thought about it. I didn't like space. And freighters get blown up or targeted at the beginning of every space-cowboy action story. So I went one better, and joined up." Casey laughed. "At least this way, I get to be on the side that blows them up, instead!"

"We really don't," Roban protested, "not unless it's self-defense. Or as part of a war."

"Yeah." Casey drained the rest of his drink. "Still, the way I see it? I can't control nothing beyond the cargo bay. So I might as well keep it all in good order, while I can. Simplifies things for me real nicely. Gives me time to think."

There was a pause. Roban looked contemplative. Then he asked, "think about what?"

"What else? Women!" Casey said, and the two of them burst into laughter.

Annoyed, Tw'eak turned away from the conversation and took another drink from her _karvino_ juice. She looked up and was startled by the sight of Lieutenant Commander V'Sar. "Commander," she began.

"Oh, hey - V'Sar. Please, join me. How've you been?"

"I am ..." She took a seat between Tw'eak and the adjacent table, where Casey and Roban appeared to be readying themselves to go get another round of drinks. "I have been well. Your absence from the bridge has been keenly felt during the past few days - first due to your injury, and now because of your other commitments."

"Yes. It's all keeping me very busy."

"I am confused as to why you would be present here, rather than continuing your work on the investigation."

"Well, it's... counselor's orders." Tw'eak smiled. "She felt I needed a few hours of time off-duty, and this was the perfect excuse for that."

"I understand." V'Sar nodded sagely. "The counselor used a similar line of reasoning with me. I am to 'permit Lieutenant Delano a chance to be in charge for a while', as she put it."

Tw'eak laughed. "Hopefully he doesn't break anything."

"Indeed," V'Sar said, raising an eyebrow. "I did not consider the lieutenant to be the type of officer for whom breakage of equipment would prove a concern."

"No, it's a saying - a joke."

"Ah yes." The Vulcan took a moment to acknowledge Tw'eak's humour, silently contemplating the additional meaning. "I believe I understand."

Tw'eak leaned in. V'Sar knew something she didn't. "Did you see Ensign Koepka on the bridge?"

"Yes, she and Lieutenant Sagittori were planning to be in attendance once they had an opportunity to change into off-duty attire." V'Sar gestured towards her own tunic and commbadge. "I myself felt my presence as a senior bridge officer would be best served by remaining in uniform. I can see you opted for the same."

Tw'eak looked down. "Mostly because it's a serious pain to get the thing on and off lately. The jacket and boots are no problem, but removing the undershirt means lifting my arms, and I'm not there yet."

"Indeed. Both Ensign Koepka and Lieutenant Sagittori took great offense to the nature of your injuries, and that you were hurt during the away mission. It was... peculiar."

"They're like that. Both of them have suggested to me that they take a rather personal liking to my being the first officer, and I worry about them, too." Tw'eak saw another opening. "Does he seem to have been different to you, lately?"

"The lieutenant?" V'Sar lifted an eyebrow, briefly. "There is an... intensity about his work which I have not previously seen."

Tw'eak tilted her head, slightly, antennae rising. "What do you mean?"

"It is probably not my place to discuss such things, as I believe they were preparing what Lieutenant Sagittori describes as 'a surprise' for you."

Alarmed, Tw'eak kept her facial expresssion neutral, even as her antennae ascended to new heights of panic. "On the bridge?"

"Yes. Without giving too much away, he and Lieutenant Delano have been working on a series of tactical drills for the bridge crew, to test our response times in a variety of combat and non-combat scenarios. I believe their intention is to demonstrate a renewed and improved level of readiness, however, to date their scores... have not been promising."

Tw'eak nearly collapsed onto the table with relief. "Oh, that..."

"Curious," V'Sar remarked, eyebrow fully elevated. "I had not believed that hearing such news would be welcome."

"It's not that, it..." How could Tw'eak explain it? The knowledge that Sagittori and Delano were working together this whole time, not in ways that would harm her, but to try and impress her instead? "I'm just glad they're keeping busy. It'll be a few days yet," Tw'eak continued, "until we're back to normal operations."

"So the investigation will be concluding."

"I sure hope so." Tw'eak took a cursory look around at the crowd, and at the periphery of the plaza, spotted the blonde hair of Ensign Brienne Koepka, accompanied by Lieutenant Jon Sagittori. "If you'll excuse me for just a moment," she said quickly to V'Sar. "Just need to run a quick check-in with someone."

"Indeed," V'Sar said, taking a drink.

Tw'eak half-stumbled out of her chair, up against the wall. "Sh'abbas to Faso."

"Faso here. We got him, Commander."

"Who?"

"Um... this is an open channel."

Tw'eak thought quickly of a way to scramble their meaning. "The high-ranking one, or the lower rank?"

"Lower," Faso said, implying Sagittori. "And it's a negative."

Tw'eak's shoulders fell. So that confirmed it. The microcellular scan had proven that Lieutenant Sagittori was the same human he'd always been - not an Undine. And by extension, that seemed to exclude him as the murderer.

"Thank you, Chief. Keep an eye out for the other guy."

"We're standing by. Faso out."

Tw'eak returned to the table, where V'Sar was staring intently at her drink. "What a curious mixture," the Vulcan commented.

"Did you get the _karvino_ juice?" Tw'eak asked.

"No, I opted to try the springwine. While authentic springwine would be alcoholic in nature, produced by fermenting _kava_ fruit, which is indigenous to Bajor-"

"Commander!" Ensign Koepka called out to Tw'eak.

Tw'eak waved her over, with Lieutenant Sagittori alongside. "You're just in time. V'Sar was just telling me not to get the springwine." She held up her own glass. "But the _karvino_ juice isn't bad."

"Actually," V'Sar said in a slightly miffed tone, "I was about to state that I am familiar with the taste and various uses of the _kava_ fruit, but I am intrigued at how its properties are combined to create springwine." She held up her glass. "It was not what I expected it would be, after all."

"That might just be the replicators," Sagittori quipped.

Koepka gave Sagittori a slight shove as she asked, "Do you mean it's unexpectedly better than what you thought it'd be?"

V'Sar nodded appreciatively. "Most intriguing."

Tw'eak smiled and looked at Sagittori as she said, "I always liked it when things turn out to be 'unexpectedly better'." She drank the rest of her _karvino_ juice, and said to the two young officers, "come on, let's see for ourselves," and led the way back to the adjacent bar.


	43. Chapter 43

Tw'eak returned to the shuttlebay at eighteen-thirty, having spent three hours in the holodeck, taking part in the festival. She had agreed to meet with Lieutenant Baird and Counselor Downie there, and would be bringing them new information.

"They're already in there waiting for you," Lieutenant M'Rann shouted to Tw'eak as she entered.

"Okay, thanks," Tw'eak replied. "It's safe to approach?"

"Yeah. The field's inactive."

Tw'eak stepped towards the shuttlecraft _Neruda_'s rear hatch, which lowered as she approached. She looked in as she entered to see the counselor up front, with Lieutenant Baird and Lieutenant Commander Benso seated on an adjacent bench. "Hey, boss, there you are," Benso said. "Have I got news for you."

"Same here," she said, moving to a seat at the front. She signalled Benso to wait, then pointed at the rear hatch. "Computer, activate sonic dampening field."

The computer beeped in error. "Field is already active."

"Then commence recording and transcription, authorization Sh'abbas Zeta 117."

"Recording started."

Tw'eak turned to Benso. "So what's your news?"

"My guys have been upgrading replicators all day. They finished two decks already. Including Sagittori's. And guess what they found in there."

"Nothing?" Tw'eak said sarcastically.

Benso was crestfallen. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

It was Baird's turn to speak. "That's because the microcellular scan that my team took of Jon shows him to be human."

"And you thought he was Undine. I told you! It's him."

"We don't know that for certain," Baird replied.

"Well, who else could it be? The fairy godmother? Three people came back from that mission - one's dead, one's clean. Process of elimination." Benso knocked his hands together in a cleaning-off motion. "Simple."

"That's not the kind of process we use in security, Sal."

"No? What's your idea, then?"

"Due process." Baird clenched his jaw. "We don't know for certain, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the captain is, in fact, dead and replaced by an Undine infiltrator."

"How are you going to get 'for certain', without that scan, though?"

"He's right," Downie said, interjecting. "It's not like we can run a microcellular scan without being right there around him, for a period of time."

"He's hunkered down in that ready room of his," Benso continued, "and there's no way to get him out."

Tw'eak looked at Baird. "There has to be something we can get him out."

The security chief gave a shrug. "Short of flooding the compartment with anesthezine or something - but even then, we don't know if it'll work."

"Stuff knocks everyone out," Benso replied. "Even bugs like him."

"We're not going to flood the captain's ready room with anesthezine just so we can rule him out as a suspect," Baird insisted. "If we're wrong, we'll be violating his rights along with a few hundred Starfleet regulations in the process."

"Yeah, but what if we're right?" Benso demanded.

"Then we'll have our answer," Tw'eak replied. "And we can take him into custody."

"Unless he reverts to his natural form," Baird stated. "We don't know if anesthezine would work on them. Besides, you don't think he expects that from us? We're talking about a super-paranoid individual in a confined space over which he exerts total control, and from which we have no chance of extricating him without a fight. And that's all assuming he actually is an Undine, which, again, I feel like I have to keep mentioning, isn't a hundred-percent certainty."

"We don't get hundred-percent certainties," Tw'eak replied. "Not in Starfleet."

"I'm just trying to keep the possibility open that we've narrowed down the field too far, too fast. We're talking about treating the captain of this starship as a mortal threat, and then neutralizing him while we're all still subordinate to his authority without justifiable cause. "

"None of us like what this means," Tw'eak replied.

"Like, I'm sorry, but it could be misinterpreted as a mutiny attempt."

"Which is why we've documented our every step, here, in this shuttlecraft, so that the evidence would speak for itself."

Baird looked squeamish. "But what I'm telling you is, I'm not fully convinced that it does speak for itself. There must be some way we can clear this with... someone at Starfleet Security, or the Judge Advocate General Corps."

"Nah," Benso replied. "If he's in there, he'll have the subspace relays on a constant monitor."

"So use the shuttle's comm relay," Baird said, gesturing forwards.

"Why you going cold on us like this?" Benso's temper was clearly rising, as was his volume. "This thing is on our ship. It killed Mellivenk. It killed Dyra. It tried to kill the boss last night."

"Yes, it did. But I'm just not sure that 'it' is in the captain's ready room."

"I got my guys scanning every inch of this ship - except the top deck. It's the perfect place for that thing to hide. Not many ways in and out, and who's gonna challenge the authority of the captain?"

"That's just what I'm saying," Baird replied.

"We're all uncomfortable with this, Lieutenant," Counselor Downie said softly. "We're trained from the day we arrive at the Academy that the authority of command is not to be questioned unless we're being ordered to do something wrong, or illegal. But there is an incredibly high chance - maybe not one hundred percent certain, but the circumstantial evidence here speaks for itself. And the commander's life has been threatened - and two others are already dead."

"I'll let you explain your second thoughts to Ensign Redus," Benso threatened, "when she's probably the next target down the list."

"That's not fair, to bring that up," Baird protested. He looked to the commander. "I'm raising these points because I think we've all been emotionally compromised. Maybe we need to bring in someone else to finish this investigation."

Tw'eak considered Baird's points for a moment. "I understand your objections. And I see their points as well. Still, as senior officer on this investigation, I think it's time we looked at the facts, here." She raised her hands, palms-down. "Let's all take a deep breath and put our feelings aside, as best we can. And let's just look at the facts for a minute." She began counting on one hand. "We've established who was on the planet - Lieutenant Raxx, deceased. Lieutenant Rau, one of the victims. Lieutenant Sagittori, whom we've cleared. And Captain Corlett."

"Who remained behind at the main camp," Downie added, "and was isolated from our other people, except for Lieutenant Raxx, who was killed."

Tw'eak continued her count. "We know that Ensign Mellivenk and Lieutenant Rau have almost nothing in common - except for their telepathic abilities. Those sorts of abilities can be very dangerous to a creature that communicates telepathically - especially one that's infiltrated and taking a different shape, one that's difficult to maintain without injections."

"If the effects of the injection wear off," Downie continued, "they tend to have some kind of telepathic outburst. It's very painful. That would've been something a telepath can detect."

"But, and forgive me," Baird said, raising a hand, "but Lieutenant Commander V'Sar's been on the bridge regularly, this whole time, without noticing anything of the sort."

"Vulcan telepathy is very short-range, usually involving physical contact or intense concentration." Downie put a hand to her face, in simulation of a Vulcan mind meld. "There's no way the infiltrator lets anyone that close."

Tw'eak counted on her third finger. "Which brings us to the ready room. Isolated enough as it is - there are no Jeffries tubes or access ports other than the main door. The bridge module is accessible - but not the ready room, specifically."

"And the internal sensors are offline," Benso added, "at the captain's own request."

"Because of sensitive research," Tw'eak continued, "which, for the most part, we know has been locked up securely in the science lab since Lieutenant Raxx's death."

"It has to be," Downie went on. The times I've gone in there to report on this investigation, I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. If anything, it looks cleaner and more organized. But there's no visible trace of anything Borg-like around."

Baird leaned forward ."So what's it researching, then?"

"Probably us," Tw'eak said in reply. "They had enough material available from unclassified sources to reproduce Starfleet Academy to exacting standards, in a 'terrasphere'. Imagine what sorts of things they're learning with a captain's level of security clearance."

"Intelligence gathering?" Baird was astounded, shaking his head. "That can't be it."

"Heh, imagine that," Benso joked. "All this effort just to put a high-level spy in at Starfleet."

"That may have been just what it had in mind." Tw'eak counted another finger down. "Which brings us to the murders. The Undine infiltrator had access, but it needed time. An intelligence-gathering operation this sophisticated would be hard enough - the infiltration, having to read instead of telepathically accept information - but there are others on board who threaten to uncover the whole thing just by coincidental telepathic contact."

"Which is how it gained sufficient access to engineer the first two deaths," Baird concluded.

"And to cover its tracks." Tw'eak stopped counting and raised a finger in emphasis instead. "It's why I was never sold on Sagittori - he's good with computers, sure, but his operational plans were always like his holodeck programs... he expected the best-case scenario every time, very little contingency. I doubted he could cover his tracks this well from the start. Add to that the fact that his presence near Mellivenk's murder, and at the door to Rau's quarters, can be explained as connecting to the one thing he's valued most - his relationship with Ensign Koepka."

"I doubt an Undine would care too much about those sorts of details," Downie replied.

"Exactly. If they had been fighting, or if he'd pushed her away, that would've been suggestive of his being the infiltrator - especially since it's an established relationship, something we know the Undine don't understand due to lack of experience in that department." She pointed to the ship's computer. "When officers from the starship _Voyager_ infiltrated their 'San Francisco' experiment, they proved that to be the case."

"It'd be like you asking me to pass for Andorian, when I've never had antennae," Downie suggested.

"Yes, or posing as a joined Trill when you'd be faking your symbiont." Tw'eak looked to Baird. "Then there's the fact that this ship has been scanned with tricorders, deck by deck, at least three or four separate times, without anyone finding evidence of anywhere else being the Undine's hiding place. We've ruled out every square inch of this vessel otherwise."

"Process of elimination," Baird said, looking at Benso.

"You can say that again," the chief engineer quipped.

"Like we said, no one wants to stand up to the captain. But no one else is going to believe us. And the more grounds we try to uncover to substantiate our point, the more allies we seek... just comes to mean that more people know. People who might talk."

"What made you think to use the shuttlecraft for this?" Benso said, patting the shuttle's bulkhead. "Freakin' genius to keep it out of the main computer."

"Just something I'd heard of, once. A story from a former crewmate, of how they handled an investigation - that time, it was espionage at a starbase. They knew the culprit could get into their computers. So they kept their information off the main computer, using a runabout."

"Wish we'd had a runabout instead," Baird said, shifting his weight on the bench. "Much more comfortable in there."

Tw'eak clenched her jaw. "I'm sure about this. We have to find out what's in that ready room. And I think I know just how to do it." Her antennae came forward, as if reaching out. "But I'm not going ahead with my plan until I have everyone's support."

"You can count on me, boss," Benso said quickly.

"I'm in," Downie chimed in.

Baird shook his head. "I don't like this. Just... a bad feeling. I don't know."

"I haven't felt good about much, lately," Tw'eak said. "But if we do this, and it works? Then we can get back to normal."

"But what if we're wrong?"

"Well, then I'll be court-martialled. It'll probably be the end of my career." Tw'eak's tone was sardonic, not at all serious. "And then I guess I ask Ensign Koepka if she knows any freighters that are hiring, maybe buy one of my own."

Baird and Downie laughed. "Now that, I'd wanna see," Benso joked. "Not just the boss - the freighter's boss! It'd be the most heavily-armed freighter this side of the wormhole!"

After the image of Tw'eak in civilian garb, commanding a battleship of a freighter, faded from everyone's mind, Baird looked up at Tw'eak. "I'm with you, then, I guess," he said after a moment.

"I want you to be sure," Tw'eak insisted.

"It's still a little unsure, just based on the evidence. But if you're sure, Commander, then I'm right behind you." Baird broke into a smile. "Just tell me if you need anyone to help out on that freighter."

"Imagine that," Benso joked. "Half the ship would resign their commissions if you went!"

* * *

It took Tw'eak fairly little time to resolve and explain her plan to the others, one they all felt confidence in succeeding, before Chief Engineer Benso and Security Chief Baird left the shuttlecraft. This left Tw'eak hovering in the hatchway, with Downie seated up front.

Tw'eak turned back to the counselor. "You're on your way, too, I'd imagine."

"I can stick around for a little while, if you'd like."

Tw'eak stepped into the shuttle, taking the seat across from Downie. "To be honest, I wouldn't mind a little company." She suppressed a shiver. "The thought of returning to my quarters... doesn't exactly fill me with joy."

"I think that's perfectly understandable. Especially given what we're going to be doing in the morning." She looked at Tw'eak expectantly. "You really think we can pull this off?"

"I'm counting on it," Tw'eak replied confidently. "We've considered enough of the possible outcomes to be ready to deal with whatever happens. All that's left is... well, to play the hand we're dealt."

Downie nodded. "Sounds like it."

"I'm... probably going to stay here the night."

The counselor turned her head slightly. "That almost sounded like an invitation."

Tw'eak gave a slight shrug. "I don't know, if you really wanted. No sense us both sleeping uncomfortably."

"Look, Commander, I appreciate your feelings and I want you to know that I consider your interest to be... I'm flattered, really, but I'm sorry."

Tw'eak's antennae tilted backwards with surprise. "Wait, you thought I was - that wasn't - I just meant it's probably safer in here. That's all."

"Oh!" Downie gave an enormous laugh. "Oh my God! I thought you were coming onto me!"

"No! I mean - you're nice, but you're not at all my type."

"Okay. Because - yeah." Downie ran a finger through her hair, nervously.

"Because what?"

"Well, I..." Downie looked out the window. "Everything I've read about Andorians suggests that... y'know, there's a lot more... openness to, um, experimentation and ...and so on."

Tw'eak shook her head. "You're talking to the wrong Andorian for that." She smiled. "But I have come to appreciate you as a friend, over the past little while. And I want you to be safe. That's all, though."

"Same with me," Downie said. "I'm terribly sorry, Commander, I completely misread you."

"Tw'eak," she said. "Please. Or if you'd rather I keep calling you Counselor, that's your choice."

"No, no. Gwen." She smiled. "Short for Gwendolyn."

"That sounds almost Andorian," Tw'eak said with a smile. "My name's an abbreviation as well - Twaiheak."

"Andorian is such an interesting language to speak, I've found. I did a little research - the chief engineer on my starship, in the story, is Andorian."

"Not at tactical?"

"I thought it was a little... obvious for her to be at tactical." Downie gave a wry grin.

"I'll tell you what - let me get a little more comfortable, because my side is aching really badly sitting up right now. And then I want to hear all about this story of yours."

"Okay, but you'll have to tell me if you pick up anything that doesn't work, or make sense. A lot of this stuff I had to make up as I went along, or look up to make sure I got it right."

Downie began to recount the finer points of her well-researched story to a grateful Tw'eak. She was happy to have someone she could level with, and not be elevated to the status of command rank all the time. She also felt comfortable, secure in the knowledge that the assailant on board couldn't breach the shuttlecraft by any means. But most of all, she was very pleased to know that, with a few difficult hours yet ahead to be resolved, the conclusion of this investigation was hopefully close at hand.


	44. Chapter 44

_"Attention, the current time is oh-six hundred."_

The shuttle lights came on, and Tw'eak stretched out. She had been resting uncomfortably all night, partly due to the shuttle bench she had slept on, even with two blankets underneath for additional cushion. But today was the day she carried through her plan - to find more evidence about whether Captain Corlett was an Undine, and face the consequences, one way or another.

On the opposite bench, Counselor Gwen Downie straightened up, awakened by the same alarm. "Well, that was a rougher sleep than I've had in years," she said, her hair matted to one side of her head. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Tw'eak reciprocated. She pulled on her uniform jacket and boots before smoothing out her slacks. "Can't say I like waking up in a shuttlecraft, but under the circumstances, I'll take it."

"You mean, you've done this before?"

"Well... it was really more of a regaining of consciousness, rather than a slumber party, but yeah." Tw'eak took a moment to shake her hair and reset it in a tight bun at the base of her neck. "I guess it's just... these things are basically designed to be functional, purposeful, not for privacy, and certainly not for comfort."

"No, I agree." Downie fastened her uniform jacket and shook it with her shoulders, so that it fit more precisely. "I remember taking a shuttle to a conference on Starbase 39 this one time. I was never so glad to be able to walk around. And then on the ride back, I hit an ion storm. That was unpleasant. At least the turbulence on a starship, even a small one, is minimal."

"True." Tw'eak stood up. "Alright. Are you ready?"

Downie paused for a moment. "Not in the slightest."

"Good. I was worried I'd be the only one. Make sure you bring a tricorder." She went to the back hatch and keyed in a precise series of inputs - M'Rann had encoded the confinement field around the shuttle to be able to be remotely triggered from inside by an encrypted signal. Tw'eak now sent that signal, then unlocked and opened the rear hatch, which slowly came down to become a ramp. On the shuttle platform, stepping closer as the hatch descended, was Chief Faso. In his hands he carried a tray with three mugs. "Morning, Chief," Tw'eak said by way of greeting.

"Good morning," Faso said, offering the tray. "Can I interest you in a raktajino?"

"I'm alright," Tw'eak said, turning to Downie.

"Chief, I could kiss you." Downie hooked a microcellular scanner to her belt, which also held a tricorder, and reached for the mug of Klingon coffee. "Just what I needed."

Faso then took a cup for his own, before placing the tray behind Downie, inside the shuttle. "More for me later, then."

"You're clear on what we're to do?"

"Yeah. Commander Benso explained it all to me last night." He turned his attention to the forward console, where he pulled up the shuttle's transporter controls. "I have everything locked in and ready to transport."

"Good. We'll have you on by comms. You're only to follow through if we give the coded signal."

"Which one? I was told there were three."

"Right - so let's review."

Faso counted off on his hand. "Code word 'green knight', then all good, captain's still the captain. 'Red badge' means captain's not the captain, beam to the brig and take into custody. And 'black flag' means captain's not the captain, plus it's hostile - that's where Baird and his team will come up the turbolift."

"And you'll beam in our support kit," Tw'eak added.

"Right. Because if you show up on the bridge wearing personal shields and combat kit, it might mean 'black flag' a lot faster."

"That's my worst fear." Tw'eak looked at Downie, who had limited combat training and zero combat experience. "If we get into a shooting fight on the bridge, the chances of it going well are very low. There'll be few safe places, and no quarter."

"To say nothing of the damage we'll cause up there," Downie continued.

"Look, boss. The more you can do to override the restrictions up there, the sooner I can beam in this bundle if you need it. Get internal sensors online up there, and I can tie in and get a fix on everything. Otherwise, I'll have to hold off beaming in the gear until I can get a clear picture. And that all assumes he doesn't put up a directed-energy dampening field. It'll block my confinement beam as well as your weapons fire."

Tw'eak clenched her jaw. "I tried to plan for those possibilities, but we'll hopefully be prepared, either way. I don't intend for any part of this to take us by surprise."

Faso nodded. "I'll be here. Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

"Just ignore the drill, okay?" Tw'eak smiled. "If you report to your lifepod, there'll be no one here to save us."

"But who's gonna save little ol' me?" The Saurian's eyes blinked as he smiled. "Good luck, boss."

Tw'eak wrinkled her nose. "You, too, with that 'boss' stuff."

"Hey, you earned that nickname, Commander. But good luck, all the same."

"You too, Chief." Tw'eak and Faso exchanged one last glance, as if acknowledging the utter craziness of the situation for one brief moment, before she and Downie made their way to the exit of the shuttlebay.

* * *

The bridge was not fully manned. The conn, science, engineering and auxiliary stations were all vacant. This made sense, as the ship wasn't going anywhere until this was settled. As was typical of the night shift, Lieutenant Commander V'Sar occupied the operations console, while Lieutenant Delano was at tactical. They turned as Counselor Downie and Tw'eak stepped out of the turbolift. "Hey, Commander," Delano said. "Don't see you up here much anymore."

"Lieutenant, if you would, I'd like to run a lifepod drill."

Delano nodded. "Haven't had one of those in a long time."

"Which is why I'd like to make it happen."

"When did you want to schedule that to happen? I'm going off shift in-"

"Right now."

V'Sar turned her head. "An immediate drill, at this hour, without any prior warning or training, will undoubtedly reduce the efficiency rating of-"

"Just make it happen, V'Sar." Tw'eak considered lying, making some assertion of the need for a 'baseline' measurement by which to judge future drills, but decided against it.

Both V'Sar and Delano raised an eyebrow, almost in unison. It would've been funny if Tw'eak was in the mood to laugh. As it was, the lifepod drill was her only chance to both ensure a limited number of casualties, in the event things got ugly, and to force Captain Corlett from his ready room, so that it could be thoroughly scanned.

"Initiating lifepod drill," V'Sar said after a moment. "Would it not be prudent to clear this with the captain, prior to execution?"

The word 'execution' - in a different meaning than V'Sar intended - hung in the air for a moment. Tw'eak tried not to shiver, but Downie surprised her. "I've discussed it with him in the past," the counselor interrupted, "and he agreed, this is one drill that should happen when least expected."

"Dead of night is pretty much the best time for the unexpected," Delano noted. "Or the worst, if you're the one running."

"Delano, verify internal sensors are working - and activate them anywhere they're deactivated."

"Even in-?" Delano nodded his head towards the captain's ready room.

"Please." Tw'eak watched V'Sar input the last codes, then heard the sound of the general evacuation siren. She stepped beside Delano and waited for the initial few bursts of the siren to die down, then opened a ship-wide broadcast. "All hands, this is Commander Sh'abbas. Proceed to your designated lifepods immediately. I repeat, report to designated lifepods."

Downie moved forwards, standing behind the chair of the conn station, her eyes on Corlett's door. Tw'eak considered moving down to the centre of the bridge with the counselor, but it wasn't an obvious place for her to stand. She would arouse less suspicion in her usual standing position, between operations and tactical. But the

Tw'eak looked to V'Sar and Delano as she stepped past, towards the captain's chair. "The two of you should probably report, as well."

Delano eyed Downie suspiciously. "If it's all the same to you, Commander, I think I'll stick around."

"That's not an option, Lieutenant."

V'Sar was about to offer a similar request for exemption when her console began beeping. "There is a hyperonic radiation leak on the bridge."

"For real?" Delano asked, incredulous.

"Correction," V'Sar said after a moment. "The effect is intentional - this is not a result of accidental damage." She looked to Tw'eak, her eyes registering the closest thing a Vulcan could get to panic. "Bridge defense fields are now active."

Tw'eak reckoned with what this meant - phasers would be useless, as would be the shuttle's transporter. The four of them were trapped on the bridge with the captain - or rather, the Undine posing as the captain. Clearly, it knew she would be coming - and clearly, it had prepared defenses of its own.

"Commander!" Downie called out.

Indeed, as V'Sar had been addressing Tw'eak, Captain Corlett had emerged from his ready room. "I must commend you, Commander," he said, a facial expression of rueful mirth quite unlike any Captain Corlett would typically show visibly upon his face. "You worked rather faster than I had expected."

This was the confirmation Tw'eak was waiting for. But she didn't address the Undine yet. She turned slightly away. "Black flag, black flag," she said into her communicator.

"I'm afraid none of them will be able to hear you," Corlett said to Tw'eak. "I've shut down shipwide communications, and the internal sensors have been locked out. To anyone else on the decks below, this will look like part of the drill. As I said, I commend you - you did well, to reach this point far earlier than anticipated.. with such professionalism, such efficiency." Corlett's voice snarled angrily. "You must think you thought of everything, don't you. Such fear, such... weakness."

"What is the meaning of this?" Tw'eak demanded. "Why are you here? What do you want?"

"Answers. Why are you violating our space with these filthy vessels of yours? Why do you threaten us in our native territory? That is what I came to discover. You, your Starfleet, Republic, Empire... you attacked us. It was necessary to find out why. This form merely furnished a convenient means of infiltration. Perhaps it will continue to do so... yes." Corlett gave a glance towards the forward console.

"We have made no such violations of your space," Tw'eak protested. She gave a meaningful glance to Delano, who waited until Tw'eak stepped beside V'Sar to begin trying to bring internal sensors or communications back online. Meanwhile, Tw'eak began gesturing more expansively, to keep the Undine's attention. "We have no intentions in fluidic space - at all. The Borg have, surely - but we stopped them from assimilating your kind."

"Spare me your attempts at equivocation." He reached over to the controls of the forward station, and pressed in a sequence of inputs. "Such useless talk."

"What are you doing? Stop that!" Downie asked. She rushed to the captain's side, taking him by the arm, but she forgot herself. It was a fatal mistake. The Undine-Corlett's other hand clutched her throat, seizing Downie by the neck, and with a single savage motion, and a sickening snap, severed her spinal column. He then tossed her now-limp form against the conn, which the counselor's body bounced against before landing on the floor beside the chair. The microcellular scanner skittered harmlessly, unused, across the floor.

"No!" Tw'eak cried out.

This was all it took for Delano to vault over the tactical station, but Corlett's mere glare was enough to stop him in his tracks, as he realized he, too, was unshielded and completely defenseless. He moved forward, putting himself between his commander and the threat. Behind him, Tw'eak's antennae perked up as she heard a series of rushing sounds through the bulkheads around the bridge - then saw, on the forward viewscreen, the lifepods of the starship _Repulse_ floating away.

"What do you intend to do?" Corlett snarled. "I will NOT yield to you - pathetic creatures. You have thwarted me for the last time." He advanced towards Delano, stepping over Downie as he did. "You are weak. You are _all_ weak. And the weak - will - _PERISH_!"

This gave Delano an opportunity, and he somersaulted past the captain's chair, moving towards the forward console. It was a decent tactic, forcing Corlett to turn towards him, but Tw'eak felt a sense of panic at the risk the young officer was taking. Her operations officer broke her focus on Delano as he narrowly avoided the Undine's reach. "Commander," V'Sar said sharply. "I am attempting to override the lockout."

"Keep trying," Tw'eak said. "We gotta get through." Corlett was still advancing towards Delano when she looked up again. This put Tw'eak at an advantage - a desperate one, but few others were likely to be had. She leapt at the infiltrator, clothes-lining him and knocking him down across Downie's unfortunate remains. Rolling on her shoulder, she came up against the forward viewscreen.

Prone, on the floor, Corlett began to revert into the form of an Undine. Tw'eak wasted no time rebounding from where she landed and raced back to tactical, feverishly inputting a containment field centered around the captain's chair. For a few seconds, the otherwise-comical sight of three officers frantically pressing buttons on consoles, seemingly preoccupied while an Undine emerged from its human form in their midst, played out on the bridge. At last, the door of the turbolift opened, and Lieutenant Baird, with Ensign Sanchez, Ensign Redus and Lieutenant Sagittori alongside, came onto the bridge, phaser rifles at the ready. "Commander!" he called out as he entered.

But there was no time to respond. Now fully resuming its alien form, the Undine leapt towards Baird, arms out, knocking the security personnel back into the turbolift in a heap of limbs and rifles, before centering its next attack on V'Sar. It leaned forward, its mind telepathically bombarding V'Sar's mental defenses to the point of total saturation.

"V'Sar!" Tw'eak shouted, leaping into the Undine's flank with a two-footed kick. This broke the Undine's concentration, but it was too late for V'Sar. Without personal shields or any form of psionic resistance other than her Vulcan mental discipline, the cascade of brutal force overwhelming her consciousness had destroyed her synaptic function. The body cannot live without the mind, and thus V'Sar fell to the floor, lifeless.

The Undine clutched at Tw'eak, who grasped the legs of the tactical console to vault herself towards Delano at the forward station. Lieutenant Sagittori was the first to his feet out of the turbolift, and he opened fire with his phaser rifle - and nothing happened. The dampening field was still in place.

"Damn it!" Delano shouted. "I can't override!"

Tw'eak caught Baird's eye as she got to her feet on the opposite side of the helm from Delano. "Here!" she shouted. "On me!"

Baird dodged past the Undine with his elbow, and carried his phaser rifle forward. "We lost contact with you!" he shouted. "I had to override the turbolift just to-"

"Listen," Tw'eak said sharply. "Bridge defense fields are active, comms and internal sensors down. We have to get to tactical. You need to lure it back this way."

"Can't we re-route that function here?"

"I just tried," Delano exclaimed. "Everything is locked out - everything!"

At the back, the Undine lunged towards Ensign Redus. The Betazoid security lieutenant swung her phaser rifle upwards, clubbing the fluidic warrior across the midsection and knocking one of its hands aside. A burst of telepathic energy became visible between the two of them, but Ensign Redus was wearing a modified personal shield attuned to provide psionic resistance, and came to relatively little harm. Next, it was Ensign Sanchez's turn, and she took her rifle by the barrel, like a club, and knocked one of the Undine's three legs out from under it. The Undine slipped to the floor, but its groping hand took Sanchez down with it, and it held her down, pummelling her. Each hit to her shield registered a a brief blue burst of light, like static electricity, and Redus now came to her aid, using her own rifle butt on the back of the Undine's neck.

"Here," Baird said, handing a personal shield belt to Tw'eak. "Get this on or you're dead."

"Thanks." Tw'eak fitted it in place and activated it, her skin and antennae tingling as it came into effect around her. She took Baird's phaser rifle. "We'll need to calibrate for the dampening field." She tapped a few inputs - realigning the firing beam, isolating the nadion dispersion, and amplifying the power output - before putting it to her shoulder and firing. The filament-sized beam that came out pierced the Undine in its left shoulder, just as it was turning towards Lieutenant Sagittori. The sound of the phaser made the Undine turn in place and make a sort of shrieking noise - but not a noise, as it was telepathic - and it began to advance towards Tw'eak. Even with the increased power, the phaser wasn't strong enough to do anything more than mildly stun the Undine. She handed the phaser rifle to Baird, then met Sagittori as he ducked under the tactical console and held his rifle butt-end-out towards Tw'eak.

"Here!" the tactical lieutenant said.

Tw'eak hit the ground bottom first, ducking down to avoid the Undine's grasp. Clearly it been counting on the directed-energy dampeners of the bridge defenses to level the playing field - it wasn't wearing the beam-firing wrist lances that were typical of Undine warriors, so it would have to win this hand-to-hand, a terrifying prospect for Tw'eak. "Do we have shields for Delano?" she asked.

Baird took to one knee, then jumped aside as the Undine came crashing through. Sparks cascaded from the helm where the infiltrator's fists had caught it with full strength. "I thought he was supposed to leave!" Baird said.

Tw'eak grabbed Delano, who was about to run. "You've gotta get out of here. Go to Deck Four. Find Chief Faso. Tell him what's going on."

"I'll try!" Delano replied.

Tw'eak straightened up, hitting the Undine, which was advancing on Baird, with three precise phaser beams along its spinal column. She moved in front of Delano, heading aft. Redus moved forward to take Tw'eak's spot near the helm, and fired her own type of beam, which was a bit more ragged and wider than Tw'eak's, but just as effective. Tw'eak caught sight of Sanchez leaning over the operations console, nursing some kind of injury. "You hurt?"

The young ensign stopped modifying her phaser rifle and looked up to Tw'eak. "Yeah." While her shield was still active, she had been struck in the abdomen by the full force of the Undine, and a laceration across her midsection was darkening the red fabric of her uniform with blood.

"Drop your rifle," Tw'eak instructed, then called out, "Delano!" The lieutenant had just reached the tactical console. She pointed to Sanchez, and Delano came forward to meet Tw'eak and hooked his arm under Sanchez, helping her up. "I'll handle tactical - get her out of here!" Tw'eak instructed.

Meanwhile, Sagittori and Redus played with the Undine, alternately firing in order to draw its attention between the two far sides of the bridge. Baird joined in from the alcove nearest the ready room door. Tw'eak called Redus further aft, in front of the tactical console, covering Delano's retreat, while Tw'eak tried to override the bridge defenses. Baird, meanwhile, had seemingly drawn the ire of the Undine, and Redus and Sagittori caught it in the flank with several hits.

With a leap, the Undine snatched Baird up against the doorway, pinning him with one hand while striking his shielded midsection and lower torso with the other fist. Tw'eak picked up her rifle and left the tactical console for a moment. She had seen the damage the Undine could do even against shielded personnel, as with Sanchez's wound. Redus fired again and again, and Sagittori aimed a few shots into the back of its head. The effect was apparently minimal. The phasers weren't doing enough damage. Hits like what Tw'eak was seeing should've been enough to kill it. As it was, the only thing that was taking serious damage was Baird.

"Redus, Sagittori! Cover me!" she said, turning her attention to the tactical station. She began by pulling up the environmental controls. A quick cycling of the air vents helped to dissipate the hyperonic radiation in the room, though not remove all of it. That would surely help improve phaser output. Then she attempted to override the bridge defense fields that inhibited their phasers' power. It was locked out, under the captain's command code. So, she improvised, shunting the power to the bridge defenses out into the phaser array, which was completely inactive. It was a convenient system to dump the power to, and the irony of using the shipboard phasers to strengthen her phaser rifle was not lost on her. The power drain weakened the containment field considerably.

Baird's situation, meanwhile, grew rather dire. He made a sort of groaning cry, and Sagittori rushed forwards from behind the helm, the butt of his rifle striking the Undine in the head. This shook the beast loose of its grip on Baird, who hit the floor with his full weight, nearly unconscious. As Sagittori pulled Baird away from the ready room, around the corner towards operations, Tw'eak could see the Undine raising its arm to block Redus' phaser fire, the beams of which glowed more brightly than before. The dampening field and hyperonic radiation were no longer restricting damage, and Tw'eak picked up her rifle, briefly tuning the fuller-capacity beams to hit the Undine hardest. Now, they weren't throwing darts, but spears, into the Undine.

The additional power of the phaser hits made the Undine revert to using its telepathic attack once again, and Redus was hit. She went into cover behind the helm. This was Tw'eak's moment, and she raised her rifle to fire, covering Sagittori's retreat with the injured Baird, as well as Redus. Hit in the flank, the fluidic warrior turned its full focus on Tw'eak at tactical. The shield which Baird had given her crackled to life against the psionic onslaught, and Tw'eak fired a high-density beam right into the creature's midsection. It staggered, the powerful phaser strike crumpling it, and it put a hand down before the captain's chair. Tw'eak expected it to leap at her, and prepared to barrel-roll towards operations, but more phaser fire struck it - first Baird, then Sagittori, shot from the hip and struck it in the side. Redus, meanwhile, back on her feet, maneuvered for a shot against its rear. Tw'eak narrowed the focus of her phaser rifle's targeting system, putting shot after shot into its head. The Undine clutched out frantically, grabbing hold of the captain's chair. Instead of supporting its weight, however, the captain's chair gave way, snapping off in its hands. The fluidic warrior's final act was to try to lift the chair and hurl it at Tw'eak, but the effort was interrupted by a pair of fully-powered shots - one, from Baird, into its right flank, with the other, from Redus, striking it in the back of the head - and it fell upon the uprooted chair, one arm over its seat, unwilling to yield it to the last.

After a moment, Sagittori stood up. "Everyone okay?" he asked, standing over the smoking remains of the Undine.

"I'm good," Redus said.

"Same here," Tw'eak added. "Darren? You okay?"

Baird clutched at his tenderized midsection. "Just a little beat up." The security lieutenant pulled himself up on the operations console, with help from Sagittori, and gazed down at the fallen creature. "Damn, look at that."

"Yeah," Sagittori replied, his right arm hooked under Baird's shoulder.

"No, I mean, look at that." Baird pointed at the broken captain's chair lying on the Undine's arm.

It took a moment of staring blankly at the fallen Undine for Tw'eak to come up with a remark. "Guess he really liked that chair." Her eyes danced with a manic gleam. After a moment, Baird let out a guffaw, which became a steady, gurgling kind of laugh. Redus joined in, then Sagittori. It was completely inappropriate for them to be laughing at the stricken form of an adversary - especially after two bridge officers had given their lives in the process of defeating it - but Tw'eak really didn't care.

"Faso to Sh'abbas," her commbadge called out with the Saurian's voice.

Tw'eak placed her rifle on the tactical console, and tapped the badge. "Sh'abbas. Go."

"Commander, we've got a huge problem."

"What is it?"

"I'm in the shuttlebay, and - the EPS junction just shorted out. I ran a quick check and... the warp core's on a build-up to detonation."

The relief and laughter on the bridge died suddenly. Tw'eak moved to the operations console, careful not to step on V'Sar's fallen body as she did. It was true. She looked at the fallen Undine. "Dead man's switch," she muttered.

"Are you serious?" Baird said with a sigh.

"What does that mean?" Redus asked.

Sagittori put down his rifle and, wearily, explained. "It means that the captain - or, this thing, or whatever it is - had some sensor monitoring his vitals - and the 'switch' gets thrown if he's dead. Only this switch... destroys the ship."

"How long do we have, Chief?" Tw'eak asked aloud.

"If I had to guess, I'd say... ten minutes, maybe?"

"That'll have to do. Is everyone off the ship?"

"Some of the lifepods have returned to the ship, but I can lead them out again. Chief Benso and some of his team are already in Engineering."

"Good. I'll be on my way there, too. I need damage control teams - beam any engineering personnel you can directly to Engineering, and then make absolutely sure everyone else is safely out. Launch the shuttles - all of them - automated launch sequences, if you have to, but I want everyone who isn't in Engineering to get clear of the ship. Sh'abbas out." She pointed to Sagittori. "Get Starbase 234 on subspace, advise them of our situation."

"All of it?" Sagittori said, aghast.

"Distress signal, at minimum. Details later." She turned to Baird. "The counselor had a tricorder - take it. Scan everything up here, while there's still time."

"Counselor Downie's dead?" Redus asked. Tw'eak nodded in the direction of the counselor's dead body. Redus looked and gasped. "I didn't even notice she was there! Oh no!"

"Lieutenant Commander V'Sar was also killed," Tw'eak replied mournfully. "We're all dead if we don't hurry." She took a step forward. "Computer, recognize Commander Twaiheak Sh'abbas."

_"Voice pattern and bio-signs recognized,"_ came the reply.

"I hereby assert that Captain Avery Corlett has been killed in action. Effective this moment, I am taking command of this vessel. Note time and stardate, and confer all command authority and control to me."

There was an affirmative beep. _"Command authorization transferred."_

Tw'eak nodded in approval. "Query: is it possible to utilize command-level access in order to shut down or reverse the process which will result in warp core failure?"

_"Negative,"_ came the reply. _"Major damage to warp core and EPS conduits on decks two through six. Suggested means of resolution is to stabilize or eject warp core, and reroute or disable damaged EPS junctions and conduits."_

"So I can't just undo what's happening with a command."

_"Affirmative."_ The computer continued. _"Warning: Warp core failure imminent. Estimated time until warp core detonation: eight minutes, thirty seconds."_

Tw'eak's lip snarled. "Thought of everything, didn't you," she said angrily to the fallen Undine. "Even sabotaged the warp core. Bastard." She pointed to Baird and Redus. "I want you to document every square nanometre of this bridge. Use the tricorder, the internal sensors, all of it. Do it quickly, then beam over to the shuttlecraft _Neruda_ and be prepared to transmit the entire investigation file along with the evidence you gather here via subspace to Starbase 234. They'll have questions, so we'd best have answers."

"Assuming we survive long enough to hear the question," Sagittori added.

Tw'eak stepped into the turbolift. "Doesn't matter. Send that evidence, and our tale is told - but it's a tale we _will_ live to tell, Lieutenant," she vowed, leaning backwards. "Engineering." The turbolift doors closed, and she left the ghastly scene.


	45. Chapter 45

Arriving in the engine room at the same time as several engineering personnel beamed in right in front of her, Tw'eak stepped out of the turbolift and followed the flow of people moving to workstations. One of them, she recognized as Ensign Day, who greeted her at the earlier Peldor festival. His face was not nearly as serene now, as he brushed past towards the warp core. At the centre of Main Engineering, standing at the main console, was Benso, directing traffic.

"Thompson - I want you and Day on the second level, routing power. Isolate the damaged conduits - damage control, nothing fancy. Frayling, get on the ODN routing - Jenkins is there, when you get there, you send him back to me. Mordral, I need you to get the undamaged EPS system pathways re-aligned away from the warp core, as much as you can. We get a power surge through the EPS and we could lose the warp core - fast. Bercuson's already working on that - you get with him at the forward station and help out." He then turned to Tw'eak. "Boss, if you don't mind, I could really use a hand."

Tw'eak stepped forwards. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just... I got people beaming in, and I got a warp core fit to burst. Monitor this console." He pointed down as another group beamed in. "That's the containment field strength. Just tell me that number - read it out."

"The one at forty-seven percent?" Tw'eak asked.

"Yeah. If it goes below twenty percent, we're all dead just like that."

Tw'eak took a place behind Benso as he faced the new group and issued orders. "Alright, Harlan, you and Drafli get to deflector control - be ready, I wanna try something."

"Forty-six percent," Tw'eak said.

_"Warning,"_ the computer intoned impassively. _"Warp core damage critical. Containment failure in four minutes."_

Benso continued. "Itax, you and Klaassen just... you know what, go check in with Mordral and Bercuson, see if they're managing with the EPS. Move!" Benso turned back to Tw'eak. "What the hell happened up there?"

"Just like we thought - Undine." Tw'eak trailed off, unwilling to be overheard as Jenkins approached behind Benso. "It's dead, but it seems to have flipped a switch when it died."

"That explains it. Sudden power surge, inverted half our EPS conduits and fried the warp core, about five minutes ago." Benso pointed to the multi-function display on the main console. "Looks like someone's bad idea of a joke - warp power shunted into the deflector, auxiliary power shunted to the warp engines, and the reserves blasted through life support. Like someone threw open all the valves and let the power flow de-regulated through everything. Overwhelming, unbalanced power cascade. I'm amazed it didn't just blow right up. No way this should ever happen."

"Not unintentionally," Tw'eak said quietly. "Anyway, Jenkins."

"Jenkins?" Benso turned, nearly knocking over the ensign. "Jenkins! I need you to get forward and reroute the fusion reactors - manually - to boost structural integrity."

"But doesn't that require me to take the impulse engines offline?" Jenkins asked.

"Only movement we're gonna be doing is if we explode," Benso deadpanned. "You've only got a couple minutes - get to the port impulse engines first, get those reactors going full power. If I can get someone, I'll send them to starboard. But I need that power to boost containment." Benso gestured towards the warp core. Another team of four engineers materialized. "Good - Rayburn, Stillwater, Drai - you're with Jenkins. He'll explain on the way. Jenkins, you take one with you, send the other two starboard. Get going."

"Forty-seven percent," Tw'eak noted. "Is it supposed to go up?"

"Only if we're lucky." Benso turned to a slender Bolian ensign standing beside him. "Nexx, I need you to contact Chief Faso, see what he needs, help with the evacuation. We need everyone OFF the ship. We'll handle it here. Get down to the shuttlebay, use shuttle escape transporters, don't leave ANYONE. And be ready to get US out, too."

"Right," the young Bolian engineer replied. "Should I tell the chief to get on a shuttle, too?"

"He already is," Tw'eak noted.

"Do I look like I have time for questions?" Benso added. "Get going, Nexx." He made a shoving-off motion to the ensign.

Nexx hesitated, unwilling to leave. Tw'eak gave him a soft smile and a nod. "Good luck," he said as he left.

"Now, Nexx." Benso didn't look up from his console.

Tw'eak gave Nexx a thumbs-up gesture as the ensign turned around in the turbolift. She turned back to Benso. "Hell of a way to lose my first command," she joked.

"We ain't losin' nothin', boss. Believe me." Benso gave Tw'eak a slight hip-check. "This console's my problem - gonna need to be on this when Jenkins gets me the power I need." He pointed to an adjacent console. "I need you there - balance the plasma levels. We need to get the warp core cooling down, but carefully. We lose plasma containment and we'll be swimming in it in seconds - there'll be nothing left of us but a memory."

Tw'eak gritted her teeth. She knew what plasma coolant could do to organic matter - one hell of a way to die. She remembered her time in the phaser stations aboard the starship _Nelson,_ how to balance the cascading energy of the phaser with the corrosive plasma coolant, how to keep an optimal temperature, and minimize hazard levels while still efficiently managing the output. It had been a sort of balancing act then - now, the balance between life and death depended upon her inputs. "Maybe we should vent some of the plasma," she suggested.

"I thought about it, and no. I'm blind down here, can't see where those lifepods are at. I really don't want to risk dousing them in plasma."

Tw'eak nodded. The thought of _Repulse_ personnel, helplessly floating in a lifepod whose ion trail could ignite a cloud of vented plasma, was best avoided if possible.

Benso, meanwhile, had returned his full attention to his console. "I still don't like the look of this containment field," he said.

"Can we create a static warp bubble?" Tw'eak asked.

Benso was incredulous. "What for?"

"Put the excess energy into it, even just for a moment."

"Won't work. The junction to the starboard warp nacelle is too badly damaged. It'd be lopsided at best - and who knows what effect that'll have on the lifepods out there." Benso shook his head. "We gotta dump the core."

"No way," Tw'eak insisted. "You're worried about what a static warp bubble will do - an exploding warp core would be a bigger threat, no?"

"Yeah, but I don't know-"

The chief engineer's commbadge interrupted. "Harlan to Benso."

"Benso. Tell me you guys got to deflector control."

"Yeah, Ensign Drafli and I are here, sir."

"Good boy. Listen, I want you to modify the shield emitters to channel into the structural integrity field."

There was silence on the end of the line.

"Can you guys do that?" Benso asked, impatient.

"We're just... This is what you wanted to try?"

"It's a long shot, I know, but you can draw power from the impulse engines. I got Jenkins and some guys down there now, getting the fusion reactors re-routed. Between the shield generators and the fusion reactors, we should have enough to reinforce the engineering section structural integrity fields - and the warp containment field."

"You're really gonna-" Harlan chuckled. "Alright. We'll do what we can."

"Don't be snarlin', Harlan," Benso said with a laugh. "Let's go. Benso out."

_"Warning,"_ the computer repeated. _"Warp core damage critical. Containment failure in three minutes."_

Tw'eak continued to cycle plasma coolant through the system at a modulated intensity, faster than would be typical, at a moderate capacity level. It seemed to be working. The warp core's containment field was weakening still, but at a decreasing rate. She took a peek at Benso's console, and saw the containment field had risen to fifty-three percent.

"You're doing great, boss," Benso said, noticing her gaze. He then tapped his commbadge. "Benso to Jenkins."

"Go ahead," Jenkins replied.

"I told you to get those reactors going at full power."

"I'm tryin', sir, but two of 'em on the near side got toasted pretty bad with feedback from the power conduit?"

"You port or starboard?"

"Starboard." Jenkins' voice sounded mournful.

"Alright - just get 'em running nice and hot, then get yourself outta here - abandon ship."

"Yes, sir." Benso was about to disconnect, when Jenkins added, "I'm sorry, sir."

"You did good, Jenks. Get safe, soon as you can."

Tw'eak then opened a frequency of her own. "Sh'abbas to Faso."

"I'm here, boss." Faso sounded a bit pinched. "Transporters are offline across the ship. Last of our shuttles are ready to launch."

"Is Lieutenant Baird with you?"

"Yeah - him and Sagittori are right behind me."

"Good. I want the three of you on separate shuttles. Co-ordinate the beam-outs, make sure you can get everyone if we lose the core. Also, I need you to signal all shuttles and lifepods to get clear of the ventral side of the ship - if we need to eject the core, I don't want anyone down there when it blows up."

"Understood." This came not from Faso, but Sagittori. "We'll get as many of the small craft as we can to align tightly to the dorsal side, and use the hull to protect us."

Tw'eak smiled. "That's exactly what I want, Lieutenant. Get on with it."

"We're on it, boss," Faso's voice came in reply. "Good luck down there."

"To us all. Sh'abbas out."

Benso and Tw'eak worked away at their respective consoles, boosting containment and plasma coolant flow as best they could, for a few seconds. Then Benso asked, "How long you figure?"

Tw'eak pointed at the console. "I thought the computer was counting down."

"It is - no, what I meant was, how long you figure it'll take to herd those lifepods up topside?"

Tw'eak shook her head. "Without sensors, I'd have to guess."

"So, guess."

"Five to seven minutes. Why?"

As if on cue, the computer broke into the conversation. _"Warning: Warp core damage critical. Containment failure in two minutes."_

"That's why. I can't even guarantee it's that long." As if in agreement, the warp core chose that moment to shoot a cascade of sparks from its upper decks. Benso looked up and shouted, "Everyone okay up there?"

A female voice, that of Technician Thompson, shouted back. "Ensign Day is down!"

Tw'eak tapped her commbadge. "Sh'abbas to Faso."

"Faso here."

"I need emergency medical beam-out in engine room, level one."

Tw'eak heard beeps and pushed buttons on Faso's end. "Day and Thompson?"

"That's right."

"On it." Tw'eak heard a distant sound of a transporter beam. "I got 'em. Day looks hurt bad - I'll see what I can do."

"Or find someone who can - I need you on standby, Chief. Sh'abbas out."

It was Benso's turn to reach for his commbadge. "Benso to Harlan."

"Harlan," came the reply."

"How're we doing up there?"

"I've got... partial shields reinforcing the warp core. Problem is that the shuttlebay's active - and it's so close to the engine room that I can't put full shield strength-"

"I don't want problems," Benso growled. "I want solutions. Just reinforce the damn warp core, or we're all dead."

"Commander, we're doing all we can up here - this isn't something we really know how to do."

"Doing the impossible comes with wearing the uniform, you know that. Let's go."

Harlan started to say something in reply, but went quiet. "Harlan out."

"That oughta get him in gear," Benso muttered, more to himself than to a visibly unimpressed Tw'eak. "If not, we got a minute, maybe."

"We'll have to eject the core before then," Tw'eak replied.

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinkin'. Don't want to, gonna kill a lot of people. But we dump the core, we get it clear, and we don't kill ALL our people."

Tw'eak nodded grimly at Benso's calculation. "What's next? I can't do much more with this coolant - it's not cycling out all the heat, no matter what I do."

Benso pointed Tw'eak to another part of the console. "Clear the ejection pathway," he said. "Blow the hatch and prepare for deuterium disconnect."

"Hold on." Tw'eak tapped her commbadge again. "Sh'abbas to Sagittori."

"Yeah?"

"We've got less than a minute until we lose the warp core. It's got to eject - now."

"I read you, but we'll need more time than that to get everyone safe."

Tw'eak took a deep breath. "Are all the shuttles away?"

"Yeah, our entire complement of shuttles has launched. All the lifepods are off, too."

"Look, use the shuttle escape transporters. Anyone who's on a lifepod that's in harm's way, beam them out. Stuff the shuttles as full as you can in the next thirty seconds."

"But Captain," Sagittori said, "can't we just beam those crew members back on board the ship?"

Tw'eak grimaced at being called 'captain' audibly for the first time. This time, it was legitimate. She was in command. "It's too great a risk until the core's out safely. Just get on with it."

"We'll start the emergency beam-outs now. Sagittori out."

"How much longer?" Tw'eak asked.

"We're out of time," Benso insisted. "I gotta blow it now."

"We need to give them more time."

"Containment's at twenty-two percent, boss. Time's up."

Tw'eak frowned. She had really hoped that the last-ditch reinforcement of the core's structural integrity would have worked. "Good thing we ran this drill," she quipped.

Benso was in no joking mood. "Alright - you cut the fuel, then ready the plasma coolant for disconnect. The moment you cut the plasma-"

"I know.." She shut down the antimatter flow, then the deuterium. Then she slowly began to reduce the flow of plasma coolant. "Coolant disconnect - now."

But something was wrong. "Where's the - where's the forcefield?" Benso was dumbfounded. "Holy shit, where's the forcefield!?" Somehow, the protective forcefield which was meant to prevent the warp core's ejection from damaging the engine room, thus bringing no harm to the engineers around it, didn't activate. But the plasma coolant lines were cut. Getting them re-activated would take too long, and the warp core was barely holding itself together as it was.

"Shit!" Benso exclaimed, reaching for his commbadge. "Benso to Faso!"

"Faso here!"

"Emergency beam-out - start with the captain!"

"No!" Tw'eak shouted.

"NOW!"

* * *

Tw'eak reached out, in an attempt to grab the chief engineer, draw him into her containment beam, but she materialized aboard the shuttlecraft _Neruda_ and nearly fell onto Ensign Thompson, who lay on the deck, injured. "Damn it!" she said as her knees hit the carpeted deck. She got up and looked out the shuttle's viewport, to see the edge of the upper saucer section of the _Repulse_ just below. A white-hot light flashed along the rim, the telltale hint of the warp core's ejection, and Tw'eak punched the bulkhead viciously. She turned to Faso. "Get Benso, Chief!"

Faso looked to his console, which showed the transporter panel and the interior of the engine room in a top-down view. "The warp core's been ejected." He then looked back solemnly at Tw'eak. "I couldn't get him - his commbadge..." Faso sadly advised. "No vital signs."

Doctor Horsell came forward. "Can we beam him out?"

"I'm going back," Tw'eak insisted. "Send me back."

Faso shook his head. "Place is toxic. Warp core vented - must have been losing containment just as it went out. No, I'm sorry. It's too dangerous."

Tw'eak nodded, and swallowed hard. Gwen Downie, V'Sar, and now Salvatore Benso. Two of the seven senior officers of the starship _Repulse_, as well as its counselor, killed - in one day. And its captain, too, in a way. In total, one Undine was responsible for the deaths four senior officers - both Captain Corlett and Science Officer Raxx had perished on Omicron Kappa II - as well as possibly other members of the ship's crew. Only Benso's sacrifice had prevented that lone fluidic infiltrator from destroying _Repulse_ as well.

Faso put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay, boss?"

Tw'eak choked out a reply, despite herself. "Don't - _please_ \- don't call me that."

"I'm sorry. I'll get a final head count for you, see how many of us are left. We can start getting damage control teams onboard once we know who's left."

Tw'eak nodded. "I'm sorry, Chief," she said. "It wasn't your fault."

"Not your fault either," he replied, before adding, "Captain," with a smile.


	46. Chapter 46

Tw'eak hated shuttlebays. There was just something about them - as a place of transition, as a cavernous space, as a nest of shuttlecraft and other auxiliary craft - that she find deeply unsettling. Perhaps it was just the fact that, one force field away from them, the endless vacuum of space was ever-present. Perhaps it was that she just didn't handle open spaces with numerous lines of sight on her position very well. Normally, she had the same response to arriving in shuttlebays: tactical readiness. Today, however, was an exception. At the edge of the force field separating space from starship rested twelve photon torpedo casings wrapped in the flag of the United Federation of planets, arranged in two rows of six. Two of these coffins, representing Lieutenant Raxx and Captain Corlett, were empty, but each represented a fallen member of the crew of the starship _Repulse_: Ensign Mellivenk, Lieutenant Rau, Lieutenant Commander Benso, Lieutenant Commander V'Sar, Lieutenants Frayling and Bercuson, Ensigns Day, Mordral and Sanchez, and Counselor Downie. Against the large forward bulkhead of the shuttlebay, in irregular formation, were seventy-four surviving members of _Repulse_'s crew, gathered in mourning.

But Tw'eak was not among them. Just above, she stayed out of sight in the shuttle control room, leaning hard on the window, teetering on the verge of total collapse. She could feel the effects of her injuries, the exhaustion from the day's events, and the trauma of what had happened, weighing upon her, tearing her apart. An odd sensation swept over her, as though it was her uniform alone which held her up. The symbol of her authority as a Starfleet commander contained her, kept her aloft, like an exoskeleton. Weary, desolate and hurting, she tried to find the words with which she would shortly have to address her crew.

Tw'eak had already waved Lieutenant Sagittori away twice, keen though he was to tend to her needs, but he came up the ramp to check on her a third time all the same. "We're ready, Captain."

"Everyone's here?"

"That's right. Except for folks in sickbay, and the engineering team working on the power systems."

"Good, that has to be our first priority," Tw'eak said with a nod.

"I agree. We've got partial main power - not enough to do much other than life support and damage control. They've already worked some miracles, but they said it'll take a few more hours until-"

Tw'eak reached out and took Sagittori by the shoulder for a moment, cutting off his recitation of ship's status. "Hey," she said. "I know what you're doing."

"What?"

"You're trying to distract me."

Sagittori shrugged. "Nah."

"You don't want me worrying about the crew, so you're trying to get me worried about the ship instead."

After a brief laugh, and a longer pause, Sagittori sought Tw'eak's gaze, and met it. "Actually, ma'am, if it's all the same to you... I'm just trying not to think about what happened."

Tw'eak nodded, an almost involuntary response to Sagittori. "Alright, let's do this."

She straightened up, tugged on her uniform tunic, and followed Sagittori down the ramp. As she descended, Lieutenant M'Rann went back up to her post with a nod to Tw'eak. She came forward and stood with the crew to her left, the fallen to her right. The faces in the crowd - Sagittori, Faso, Koepka, Doctor Ogilvie, Baird, Delano, Redus - were familiar, but the absent faces that she sought there, and didn't find, caused her throat to burn.

"Thank you for coming," Tw'eak began. "This past week has been, without question, one of the most difficult of my career. I know that many of you probably feel exactly the same. But let me say this.

"The last little while has been a series of tragic events, resulting in the deaths of several of our senior officers. Our captain and Lieutenant Raxx were both killed in action, in the Omicron Kappa system. Earlier today, our ship's counselor, Lieutenant Commander Gwen Downie, our operations officer, Lieutenant Commander V'Sar, and Ensign Sanchez from security were killed in combat with an Undine infiltrator. That same infiltrator was responsible for the murders of Ensign Mellivenk and Lieutenant Rau. And no doubt you are all aware of the sacrifice which Lieutenant Commander Benso and members of his engineering team, which saved our ship. His noble action preserved our lives as well."

Tw'eak paused a moment before continuing. "A former commanding officer of mine has a saying she's often used, which I think bears repeating here. 'Live for a century, and you must learn for a century,' she would say. I know the way things are, and that no one's guaranteed a long life. We can't change what's come to pass. We tried, and the consequences are ours to deal with now. In time, and upon reflection, we will learn from this." She waited a moment, looking around, before adding, "Each of us will learn in our own way, and in so doing, we will come to accept it... but only with time.

"For now, however, there is much to be dealt with in order to ensure our journey safely home," she concluded. "Engineering teams can report to Lieutenant Harlan - everyone else, report to me for the time being." She smiled, and added, "Thank you all for being here. I want to tell you how grateful I am, to be able to call myself your captain - in acting capacity, at least. Please let me know if there's anything I can do for you, anything you need... anything." She gave a clipped nod, as she felt captains did. "Take care of yourselves. Look to your duty - and look after each other... take care of each other, best you can. That'll be all. Thank you."

The assembled surviving crew of the starship _Repulse_ reacted with silence. Tw'eak hadn't expected - or, indeed, wanted - a reaction, but she could see appreciative faces among the audience. Somehow, the words had just come to her, just as she'd hoped they would, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up to Lieutenant M'Rann, who nodded in acknowledgement, then found her way to stand at attention beside Chief Faso, who was standing next to Lieutenant Sagittori, and joined the assembled ranks.

Lieutenant Baird took three steps forward at the far end, with a crispness and precision in his steps that looked painful, given his injuries. He came about sharply and called out, "Honours!"

Each of the coffins, as one, rose from the deck, guided by M'Rann's hand at the shuttlebay tractor beam station. As Lieutenant Baird said the full name of each, they were impelled outwards, through the forcefield of the shuttlebay's perimeter, and across the threshold into space. "Ensign Rosalina Sanchez... Ensign Mellivenk... Ensign Day Laran..." The roll call continued, each name being matched with a departure, until it came to the senior officers. As the names of Downie, V'Sar and Benso were read, Tw'eak observed that with each, the coffin lingered a moment longer than those of the junior ranks had. Unwilling to break from attention to look as to why, Tw'eak realized with a glance over her shoulder that her crew was a shambles. Some were wiping away tears, others fighting to control sobs. As the last name was said aloud, "Captain Avery Corlett," Baird added the word, "commanding." The last coffin rose, and Tw'eak led the entire assembled surviving personnel of the starship _Repulse_ in a salute.

* * *

Once dismissed, the crew lingered about. Tw'eak herself moved forward, grief-stricken, and watched the passage of the coffins - far too many of them all at once - into the stars. It was harder and harder to focus her eyes upon them, but the feeling, as though they were slipping away, darkened her mood. The urge to blame herself for all of this was overwhelming. How could this not be her fault? She was in charge now, after all. So how, then-

"Captain?"

The tone of Lieutenant Sagittori's voice was direct enough to stop Tw'eak's train of thought in its tracks. "Yeah?"

"What you said... was great, just as it was. We'll honour each of them." Sagittori shook his head back, as if concealing his face, his short black hair waving as he did. "And I want you to know that we'll all do our best to get the ship home - just the way you showed us, the right way."

The compliment had no real effect on Tw'eak. She was still staring into the distance. "There's so much to do."

Sagittori nodded. "Yeah. I mean... yeah."

Tw'eak turned to see Chief Faso approaching, and tried to get herself back into the right frame of mind. "I want you to..." She tried to focus on what to say to Sagittori, but it didn't come to mind. A thought came to her, and she looked to Faso instead. "I want you to the Undine remains secured. Clear it with our cargo people, get it contained. Starfleet Intelligence will want a closer look."

"You got it, b- uh, captain."

Tw'eak then turned to Lieutenant Sagittori, who was now joined by Ensign Koepka. "I'm going to need a first officer. Acting first officer, I should say."

"Of course," Sagittori replied. "Got anyone in mind?"

"Well," Tw'eak said with a smile, "I don't know if Jenkins is ready or not, but he'd be my first choice. He's pretty busy."

"Oh." Sagittori looked crestfallen. "You don't think - I mean, interesting choice, sir."

Tw'eak rolled her eyes nearly as hard as Koepka did. "She wants you, stupid," Koepka said, elbowing Sagittori in the ribs.

"If you can handle it," Tw'eak added, with a shrug. "I don't know."

"No - I'd be happy to - captain - sir!"

Tw'eak laughed and walked away. "Give me an hour. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my quarters... Number One," she declared as she left.

* * *

The brief respite which Tw'eak had taken for herself - a change of uniform, along with a cup of _katheka_ \- had been incredibly difficult, but necessary. As she had said to Sagittori, there was so much to be done, but she had been in no capacity to do anything. It had hurt to think of how many people had been killed today. Never one for sitting still, Tw'eak found herself increasingly shaken as she realized how many risks she had run. Like Downie, V'Sar and Delano, she had not been wearing a personal shield when the Undine had attacked on the bridge. Downie's or V'Sar's fate could have been hers. Neither of them had been given much of an opportunity to defend themselves either, armed only with a tricorder between the two of them. Neither had withstood its strength - either physical or psionic - for long. And then there was what happened next, altering the settings of the rifles on the fly, dodging into cover as she did, delayed in lowering the dampening field well enough for the phasers to work at full strength...

But what truly bothered Tw'eak most of all was that her entire approach to this had been reactive, rather than to a plan of her making. She had conceded all of the advantages to the Undine - some by necessity, since they were still acting on suspicion until it revealed itself. And this was exactly how she had been trained never to allow herself to operate. To be fair, she had intended for Baird and the others to join her, but she should have been prepared. They also should have come equipped with something to wield if the bridge defenses were in active state. But what? Swords and cutlasses? Polearms and axes? The physical resilience of the Undine, and its strength, would've made anything less than advanced personal melee weapons, nanopulse-edged, a waste of time - and a risk to anyone who tried that kind of attack.

Then there was the engine room. Her discomfort with the surroundings, Benso's domain, had contributed to her less-than-useful contribution. But what else could she have done? As senior officer present, she was assisting the chief engineer - right until nothing but the core's ejection could've saved them. Benso had proven himself to be the hero that the situation called for, to prevent it from becoming a total disaster. The starship was still intact because he gave his life to save it. As senior officer, she probably should have stayed behind - not least because she was still wearing her personal shield belt, from the altercation on the bridge. But that hadn't happened. There hadn't been time.

Tw'eak took stock of her actions, and considered what else could have been done. She finished her katheka as she ran through the last few steps before she materialized on the shuttlecraft, beamed out at the last possible moment, and shook her head. She couldn't absolve herself, not fully. But she also knew that any blame she had for herself had to remain here, in her quarters, so she could present clear-headed and appropriate leadership for as long as was needed. This was no time for her to appear to have lost control of herself. They weren't safely home yet, though they were safely within the territory of the Romulan Republic. But that Republic's boundaries were routinely tested. Should an adversary - Klingon, Tal Shiar, or perhaps worst of all, Orion slavers - find the _Repulse_ in its present state, the _Steamrunner_-class starship was a sitting duck.

This prompted Tw'eak to return to the bridge more hastily than she would have liked. Upon arriving, she was struck by the sight of an empty bridge. The vacant space made her remember V'Sar's wise and seemingly constant presence at operations, Benso, Rau, even Raxx. She noted also that the bodies of those who had been slain were no longer where they had lay. Finally, the helm and tactical were empty - neither Ensign Koepka, who was slated to transfer out before all this began, nor Lieutenant Sagittori were present. The bridge wasn't entirely devoid of personnel, though. Ensign Jenkins was there, under the captain's chair, working a microspanner. Rather than say anything and risk startling the ensign, resulting in a comical moment of him hitting his head on the underside of the seat, she approached slowly, and knelt beside him, careful to keep her voice quiet.

"Ensign," she said.

Her precautions became useless the moment Jenkins heard her voice. "Sir - damn it!" he exclaimed, and spasmed in place, striking his forehead on the underside of the chair. His carefully-combed dirty-blonde hair danced around the chair's edge as his head struck. Jenkins sat up, raising the hand which held the microspanner towards his eye and pressed the wrist to his wounded scalp. "Captain on the bridge!"

"Sorry, I was trying not to surprise you."

"God, you're quiet. But I'm just about done. Sorry to keep you waiting."

"I wasn't." Tw'eak clutched the armrest of the chair. The metal seemed a little brighter, while the seat itself was a fairer shade of blue-grey. "This isn't the same chair."

"Yeah. Lieutenant Baird insisted on that - for evidence." Jenkins went back to work with the microspanner. "He doesn't want to take any chances. So I replicated a new one. I know the colour's a little different, but I didn't think you'd mind."

"Not at all," Tw'eak said. "Where is everyone?"

"They're..." Jenkins leaned away from the base of the chair. "Just between you and me, ma'am, I don't really know. I know Lieutenant Baird's got a lot to do - he's not done yet with the ready room, so you'll want to keep out of there for a bit longer, but yeah. We got most things running on automatic, or just barely running, and there isn't much use for a bridge if there's no way of carrying our orders out, if that makes any sense."

"Makes total sense." Tw'eak glanced around. "It's just so... unusual, for this space to be empty."

"I suppose you're right. Still, there's jobs to do all over - just work harder, that's what I do..." The ensign paused, brushing his hair to one side. "It's what Benso would've told me to do - whatever needs doing, get it done."

"He kept this place running," Tw'eak acknowledged. "We'll all miss him."

"I know lots of us, even me, kind of got sick of his way of running things after a while there, and I know you talked to him about that. Hope you know, he made time to apologize to people, get to knowing them better. It was changing down there, believe me."

"Oh, I noticed all right. It felt good, to see it happening - coming together."

"That's what engineers are for, Captain," Jenkins said as he made two further adjustments with the microspanner. "Things fall apart - we put 'em together again. And we will again, don't worry." He pulled himself out from under the chair. "There. Give that a try."

Tw'eak very gingerly moved to sit in the chair, perching her weight lightly upon it.

"No, no, you really gotta settle into it," Jenkins encouraged. "Lean back a bit."

Tw'eak couldn't bring herself to do it. "I appreciate what you're saying, Ensign, but with all respect to your work, nobody should ever feel comfortable in a captain's chair."

"Point taken."

Tw'eak stood back up, looking at the chair adversarially. "When I need it, it'll be there."

"Yeah. You know how all the switches work, right?" Jenkins swept past Tw'eak and sat in the chair. "This one works the intership comms, this one toggles the viewscreen zoom - you can do red alert just like this, but voice input is just that bit more dramatic, and you can cue that here on the comms..."

The turbolift swept open, admitting Ensign Koepka and Lieutenant Sagittori to the bridge. Sagittori looked grief-stricken at the sight of Jenkins in the command chair. Behind them, still in the turbolift, was Lieutenant Drafli, a Rigelian. He stepped past Sagittori and Koepka. Jenkins spun towards the three officers.

Drafli looked at Tw'eak. "Commander. I was asked by Lieutenant Harlan to report to the operations station on the bridge."

"No, she's the captain," Sagittori corrected. "Not in rank - like, capital-C? But she's the captain. It's... tradition."

The Rigelian, being of a people not known for their sense of humour, merely looked at Sagittori for a moment, inscrutable, before turning to Tw'eak again. "Captain. I was asked by Lieutenant Harlan to report to the operations station on the bridge."

Tw'eak nodded. "I'm sure that'll work just fine. Man your post." She then caught Jenkins' eye, glanced quickly down at the chair, and raised both eyebrows.

"Oh! Right." Jenkins leapt to his feet. "Your chair - I was just - the buttons! You know the buttons - right?"

Tw'eak smiled at Jenkins. "I'll figure it out, don't worry. Thank you, Ensign."

"No problem, captain!" Jenkins said cheerily, before heading to the turbolift.

It was as Jenkins passed that Tw'eak noticed Koepka and Sagittori were still standing together, rather than moving to their posts. "Is everything alright?" she asked them.

"Yeah," Sagittori said, "it's just..."

"Can we talk to you?" Koepka asked. "Privately?"

"Both of you? Sure." Tw'eak gestured towards the conference room.

* * *

Sagittori and Koepka entered the conference room, and Tw'eak walked to the head of the room table. She noticed the two of them stood close together, both anxious. "So what's this about?"

"Just... a couple things," Koepka said cryptically.

Sagittori took the seat nearest Tw'eak while Koepka hovered behind. "We've - I've had a..." Sagittori looked to Koepka. "I wouldn't call it a change of heart, actually. More like, I've decided to follow my heart."

Tw'eak's antennae straightened in confusion. "So what's this about?" she repeated.

Koepka stepped forward and put a hand on Sagittori's shoulder. "Jon and I have decided we'd like to get married - here, aboard the ship. And we'd love it if you would preside over the ceremony."

Tw'eak smiled. "It would be my absolute honour. This probably isn't the best time, though. We've sustained damage and we're mourning the deaths of our captain and several senior officers. I'd rather wait until the time's right."

"There's... just one thing, though." Sagittori put his hand on Koepka's. "Once we are married, we'd have to be reassigned, if we remain in Starfleet service. Is that right?"

There was an ominous cross-examinatory tone in Sagittori's choice of words that Tw'eak noted. "If you remain in service, given your current ranks... yes."

Sagittori nodded. "In that case, we've both decided to leave Starfleet. Together."

For added emphasis, Koepka placed her commbadge on the conference room table. "Sorry," she added. Sagittori followed suit.

Having sensed the direction the conversation was going, Tw'eak pursed her lips and kept her disappointment to herself. "I see. To be honest, losing either of you would be difficult to handle - especially right now. You're the kinds of officers I would really enjoy working with. And if the only thing driving your decision to resign is regulations, I'll see if an exception can be made."

Koepka shook her head. "Honestly, captain, as much as we both really loved working with you... until you came aboard, we've both been really unhappy in Starfleet. This place just isn't enough like home for me."

"Or for me," Sagittori continued, "I never really had much of a 'home' until I found Brie. And I love her, so much. But there's... just a lot of down, nothing time, where things that happen get put onto us, instead of us really being able to find our own way."

"Plus, the last few days really scared us, because when the risk is there, it, like, comes out of nowhere, and then you're dead."

"Wouldn't that same set of circumstances - the risk, the down times - wouldn't that happen on a freighter?" Tw'eak asked.

Sagittori snickered. "I got framed for murder by a creature from fluidic space. That's..."

"But the suspicion of your guilt was never clearly or directly in evidence at any point in the course of the investigation. I needed him to believe that we suspected you, but you were placed in custody for your own protection. Let's be clear."

"Yeah, see... and I don't blame you, I probably would've played it the same way, but..." Sagittori paused for a moment, and Koepka placed a hand on his shoulder. "Honestly, ma'am, if it was you motivating my decision - our decision, together - then we wouldn't be talking to you."

"Jon and Darren haven't really been speaking to each other," Koepka admitted.

Sagittori's head spun sharply towards Koepka. "Why'd you tell her?"

"We have to be honest." Koepka rubbed his shoulder while looking at Tw'eak. "Anyway, you made a lot of this so much better, so thank you, but this is something we've talked about ever since we first got serious about each other - and now, all this. Maybe we can move on from this, together, even if it means Starfleet gets left behind."

Tw'eak gave a silent nod, then asked, "so what will you do, then?"

"I don't know," Sagittori replied as Koepka's arm returned to her side. "Probably find a freighter, maybe go to some place like Bolarus IX and see if we can find a Bolian captain who needs a hand. Brie knows enough about freighters to do anything there, not just helm it, and I... I can just... I'll go where she goes." The lieutenant's eyes fell for a moment, before his lips rose in a wry grin. "If we do join a freighter, it better have a holodeck!" he said giddily.

Tw'eak laughed, in spite of herself. Holodeck combat fantasies had been a key part of their romance, after all. But holodecks were an unlikely luxury to find aboard any freighter, anywhere, and Tw'eak sensed that the feeling of belonging, of home, would elude them wherever they went. "Look, I'll accept your resignations, on one condition."

"What's that?" Sagittori asked.

"I know I don't have to promise you to look out for each other, or to take care of each other, because of course, you both will. But if there's ever anything I can do... I don't even know what it might be, but at any point, if you think to yourself, 'I know a crazy Andorian lady who might be helpful at a moment like this'... please get in contact."

Sagittori and Koepka both smiled. "We will," Sagittori said.

"And we'll keep in touch, too," Koepka added. "Or we'll try to, at least. I'm ...pretty bad at correspondence."

"Same. And I don't know much about freighter life, but you're sure your tactical training wouldn't be better put to use somewhere else?" Tw'eak asked Sagittori.

"I think I've had enough genuine 'action and excitement' in the past month to last me a lifetime," Sagittori said. "Next time I get into a fight with someone, it'll be someplace where the safety protocols are switched on."

Tw'eak briefly had a thought about her late friend Counselor Downie. "You know, the right holo-novel can really fire the imagination."

"Hey - I should see what they have in the library computer," Sagittori mused. He looked to Koepka. "Should get copies of the good stuff while I can."

Koepka considered a moment before laughing and shaking her head. "They won't have holodecks on a freighter, Jon."

"Yeah, but maybe if we find the right one - maybe a really nice one. You never know."

"For now, though," Tw'eak said with a smile, before Koepka could get a further word in. "Once we've arrived at Starbase 234, I'll accept your resignations and you can be on your way from there. In the meantime, there's much to be done." She reached out and swept up the two commbadges, handing them back to Koepka and Sagittori. "And I need two capable officers to help me get it all done. Let's get to it."

* * *

Tw'eak returned to the bridge, where Lieutenant Drafli had been joined by Lieutenant Delano, at tactical. Neither Sagittori nor Koepka were currently on shift, so they slipped past to the turbolift, to begin planning their future together. Tw'eak watched them go, and gave a slight wave to Koepka as the turbolift doors closed.

"Captain," Drafli said as she entered. "Lieutenant Harlan reports that repairs to the main deflector and communications array have been completed."

"Glad to hear it," Tw'eak said. She also noticed a petite figure at the helm. It was a female Tellarite, her feet dangling down from the chair slightly. "Hello," Tw'eak said. "You're..."

"Ensign Yekrah," the helm officer said.

"Captain?" Lieutenant Delano said. "I'm receiving a hail from the starship _Verdun_. Captain Topek in command."

"Do we have visual?" Tw'eak asked.

"We do. Captain Topek is standing by."

"Put him through." Tw'eak sat in her command chair and faced the viewscreen, which showed the interior of a _Sovereign_-class starship's bridge, not unlike that of the starship _Nelson_ upon which Tw'eak had served for most of her career. It was a welcome, familiar sight. Seated in its command chair was a male Vulcan in a captain's uniform and with a severely precise cut to his black hair. "Greetings. I am Acting Captain Twaiheak Sh'abbas of the starship _Repulse_."

The Vulcan captain raised an eyebrow. "Captain Corlett is no longer in command?"

"That's correct. He was killed in action in the Omicron Kappa system approximately three weeks ago. I was his first officer."

Topek narrowed his eyes. "Omicron Kappa is ...very far from here, Captain."

"Yes. I believe I can explain everything if given the opportunity. However, given our current status, we would request your assistance."

"I see. How may we assist you?"

"We were recently forced to eject our warp core, shortly before it exploded. Our engine room is contaminated with the remnants of that explosion."

"There are protective forcefields which should prohibit such contamination." The distinctly disappointed tone in Topek's voice, to have to explain such a thing, irritated Tw'eak.

"Logically, yes," Tw'eak said, almost wanting to apologize for having told the truth. "But our ship was sabotaged, and several of our crew members murdered, in a methodical manner by an Undine infiltrator which we picked up while in the Omicron Kappa system."

"Is this in any way linked to the recent destruction of a planet in that system?"

Tw'eak nodded. "Directly linked, in fact. We have important evidence to present to both Starfleet Security, and Starfleet Intelligence. I speak on behalf of my crew when I say that we would gladly each consent to be scanned on a microcellular level and provide blood samples if necessary in order to validate our identities."

Topek arched an eyebrow. "That would be the optimal method of proving your crew to not be further infiltrated." He looked back at someone off-camera, then returned his focus to Tw'eak after he began speaking. "We will commence the replication of components for a replacement warp core. Begin decontamination procedures in your engine room immediately, please. Once installed, this temporary warp core will be sufficient to permit your return to Starbase 234 at Warp 5, provided your vessel still has adequate fuel and dilithium to attempt a return. Should this not be the case, we will return to Starbase 234 with your vessel under tow."

Tw'eak nodded. "You'll be coming to us, then."

"Indeed. I estimate we will be able to arrive in one hour, fourteen minutes."

This actually provided a huge sense of relief for Tw'eak. In its current state, her ship only had to hold together, defend itself, possibly repel boarding actions, for another seventy-four minutes. "We'll be holding position here. I'd like to begin transmitting the documentation and evidence we've accumulated to your vessel as soon as possible, via secure channel. I'd much rather not be in possession of the sole copy."

"I understand." The Vulcan's matter-of-fact and formal tone reminded Tw'eak of the late Lieutenant Commander V'Sar, whose absence on the bridge felt uncomfortable to her. Topek continued. "We will be able to undertake a direct data transfer upon our arrival. Continue holding your position. Alert us to any changes in your status."

"Thank you. _Repulse_ out." Tw'eak then turned to Drafli and Delano as the viewscreen switched off. "Okay. Drafli, inform Lieutenant Harlan of our incoming friends with the new warp core, and get decon started right away."

"I believe Lieutenant Harlan will already have commenced decontamination," the Rigelian noted, "but I will advise him of its priority."

"I'm leaving you in charge for a bit, so stay on the bridge." She turned to the tactical station, suddenly overwhelmed by a desire to escape, to let herself be overcome by the emotions - grief, sadness, but also a sense of sincere relief. "Delano - did Lieutenant Baird have time to sweep the ready room for evidence?"

"We secured the other stuff first - the bodies and the chair - so the ready room's under security seal." Delano chuckled. "Bet you want to get in there and start settling in, huh."

"Not at all." Tw'eak cut past her annoyance at Delano's joke. "Look - when the _Verdun_ arrives, facilitate whatever they need to get us fully spaceworthy." She walked towards the turbolift, the wellspring of her emotions threatening to bubble over. "Let me know if anything unexpected arises," she said, her voice quavering. "That'll be all, thank you."

The turbolift doors closed behind her, and it took all Tw'eak's strength not to break down into a total mess. It was not in her character to retreat, or to fold, but she knew well enough to withdraw when the time was right. She kept it together, nodding and smiling at passing junior officers, until she reached her quarters. Once the doors were closed, and locked - for real, this time - she collapsed on her bed, overwhelmed, and closed her eyes, screaming silently at the ceiling in exhaustion. This ordeal had an ending after all.


	47. Chapter 47

The interior of the admiral's office aboard Starbase 234 faced outwards towards the nearby Azure Nebula, drowning the massive viewport in a swirling pattern of cerulean blue light. In front of that viewport was a seating area, with a couch and two chairs, slightly removed from the desk and two seats before it at the far end of the room, near a door leading to a turbolift. It was in this seating area that Tw'eak stood, not wanting to be seen as standing too close to the admiral's desk when he arrived. Instead, she had chosen to stand opposite, looking out the viewport into the abyss. She had begun to feel mesmerized by the vastness of space and the nebula which danced before her, but she had made her choice, to wait for the admiral's arrival in a standing position rather than being seated. It was a different kind of stand than she was accustomed to making, but she had to fight the urge to be comfortable. The conversation ahead might be decidedly _un_comfortable, after all.

She tried to review everything she was sure to be asked about: details of her time aboard, the investigation into two separate murders, the destruction of Omicron Kappa II and her near-fatal involvement in the attack on the assimilated Undine, the engagement involving the starship _Kolibri_ following the disastrous early patrol in the Aindo system... there was even a Gorn ship which sought asylum at one point. Or did that happen while she was still serving aboard the _Nelson_? There was a lot to remember for the mere one hundred and forty-seven days she had actually spent aboard ship. Most people didn't see as much action in a career.

She wondered at the reception she could expect to receive from the commanding officer of Starbase 234, Admiral Bennett Herschel. His was not a name she recognized, perhaps owing to the fact that she would've recognized fairly few admirals by name, save those who were either of sufficient high rank to make themselves known on that basis, or due to previous conduct - for better or worse - that made their names a part of the Federation News Service. Still, she expected a fairly intense grilling, knowing as she did how bad this all must have looked to an objective perspective.

It took several more minutes, Tw'eak agonizing over every last detail she could remember, before the door to the ready room opened, admitting a lank, balding human male in an admiral's uniform. "Please, sit down," Admiral Herschel said.

Tw'eak hesitated for a moment, leading Herschel to gesture once more to the chair. Seating herself, she noted that Herschel had lain a stack of three padds upon the desk in front of him. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me," she replied.

"I've read your reports - I trust you had sufficient time to write to the next of kin, for each of the officers who perished?"

Tw'eak nodded. "Yes, sir." In fact, she had endured an abundance of time - the engineering crews from the _Verdun_ had taken seventy-two hours to make _Repulse_ fully spaceworthy again, given the severity of the damage to the engine room and the ship's power systems across the board. She remembered the memorial service in the shuttlebay, and she had remembered the conversations she'd had with Sagittori and Koepka, and with Lieutenant Baird, who had decided to take an extended leave of absence in order to spend time on the Una colony with his wife and children. He wasn't the only one who had opted to use up his accumulated leave time. Tw'eak, however, had endured all the downtime she needed waiting to get back to Starbase 234.

And now, here she was, across the desk from an admiral reviewing her performance, reviewing the contents on a padd. "I've gone over the timeline of the events, as you describe them," Admiral Herschel began, "and I've seen to it that we've directed your reports to Starfleet Security, as you requested."

As Herschel paused, looking over the padd, Tw'eak could feel the impending weight of doom hanging in the silent moment. Herschel fiddled with the padd for a moment, heightening her anxiety. What next? A court-martial proceeding, no doubt. Or maybe just a demotion. Did what had happened constitute a cautionary example, the likes of which she would be expected to provide?

"I've run this by Admiral Quinn - very briefly, you understand, since he's pretty busy right now - but he concurred with my opinion."

Tw'eak was practically hovering in place, resonant with anxiety. Herschel's pause was agonizing. "I would appreciate knowing that opinion, sir."

"What? Oh - right. Sorry." Herschel put down the padd. "It's an incredible bit of work that you were able to do."

"Really," Tw'eak gushed, her antennae flaring upwards.

"We're dismayed by the ease with which your ship's security was compromised by this Undine infiltrator, but that was frankly improbable. Unforeseen. Not to mention that I don't really know if we'd want to run the risk of publicizing that this occurred, even if it was a chance event."

Tw'eak's heart sank, as did her antennae. "I see."

"Nor how it could've been avoided, once it happened, to be clear. This... could've happened to any ship in Starfleet. That you were able to contain it before more damage was done - or worse, the ship being destroyed - is rather remarkable." Herschel shook his head, half-smiling. "That bit, where you put all the investigation data in a shuttle computer rather than risking it being compromised in the ship's computer... very clever bit of work there."

"Thank you, sir."

"Your idea?"

Tw'eak smiled. "I had the privilege of a very good crew, some of whom lost their lives this incident."

"I must confess, I'm a bit surprised to hear you say that. Given the... track record of the starship _Repulse_ under Captain Corlett's command, I would've thought you might hold more of a negative opinion of its crew." He held out a padd. "Though I must say, there's a marked improvement in all facets of reported data - efficiency ratings, crew morale, the tangible alongside the less concrete alike - that begins almost the day you arrive. I'd imagine on that basis that you spent a great deal of time whipping them all into shape."

"They always had the potential for greatness," Tw'eak replied. "I just happened to show up at the right time."

"Still, I have to tell you that Starfleet has seen fit to decommission the starship _Repulse_." Herschel's brown eyes met Tw'eak's directly. "I hope you don't find that disappointing."

"No, sir. I observed the crew of the starship _Verdun_ experienced quite a bit of difficulty just helping us make it home."

"It's not so much that. The ship itself - this isn't for discussion outside of this room, by the way - but certain parts of the ship need to be comprehensively examined by Starfleet Intelligence, both to learn what we can about Undine infiltration, and to learn what they learned about us during the infiltration."

Tw'eak nodded. "I understand. Does the crew know?"

"We're in the process of re-assigning them now. It'll take some time, but given the... horrendous percentage of attrition among senior officers, it'll just be a matter of finding places to re-assign everyone."

Chuckling to herself, Tw'eak was reminded of Ensign Koepka's remark to her - or was it Lieutenant Rau's? - while on the abandoned freighter which had served as 'bait' for the ambush in the Aindo system. So they'd get parcelled out and re-assigned to a hundred different ships after all. "Indeed," she said to Admiral Herschel.

"Which brings me to you. Part of the reassignment process, as befits your rank of Captain, and command designation, is to get you on your way to a new duty posting." He held out the three padds on his desk.

Tw'eak narrowed her eyes, confused. "If I may, Admiral, while I was in command, and referred to as captain by Starfleet tradition, I was never formally promoted to the rank of Captain."

"You just were. Congratulations, Captain." Herschel reached into his desk drawer and handed her a fourth pip for her collar. "It's as formal as we dare be, given the current hostilities with the Klingons. The usual promotion ceremonies have to be conducted somewhere else - spies everywhere, after all."

Tw'eak looked over the three padds, overwhelmed by the sight of three very different starships in front of her. One, the _Excelsior_-class USS _Agincourt_, was a battle-ready cruiser of the Starfleet standard. Another, the newer _Intrepid_-class starship USS _Chandrasekhar_, showed all the promise and potential that an explorer of her class and stature could convey. The third padd, however, was not a cruiser but a heavy escort carrier of the _Akira_ class. USS _Bonaventure_, the padd proclaimed. Tw'eak felt an impossible choice being put to her - like choosing which puppy she wanted to adopt. "These are all excellent choices." She lowered the padds. "May I speak candidly, sir?"

Herschel nodded. "Go ahead."

"I... forgive me for - how does the saying go, leading a gift horse to water? A horse is involved, as it's an Earth phrase, but I don't recall it perfectly."

Herschel chuckled. "Either you're 'leading a horse to water' and can't force it to drink, or you're 'looking a gift horse in the mouth'."

"The one that makes me seem ungrateful for the right to choose."

"The latter, then." Herschel continued chuckling. "Go on."

"Nothing I've done makes me feel in any way worthy of this opportunity."

"Captain, I don't know if you've been around for the past few months, but the 'opportunities' are pretty much all like this, these days. Starfleet is outfitting anything with a warp core to engage the Klingons more directly. We're not desperate, but it's close."

"I see." Tw'eak felt annoyed - both at Herschel's turn of phrase, and at her own inability to simply accept the chance she was being offered.

"But regardless of that, each of these ships has a purpose, but its potential is only as great as its captain sets out to achieve. We lose people - good people, and the not-as-good - at alarming rates, these days. Your actions during your time on _Repulse_ proves which side of that coin you're on, which is why you're here, and which is why your new command is waiting for you... Captain."

Tw'eak took a deep breath. "I just... this is something I've always wanted, I'm not going to lie. A command of my own - it's... exhilarating to think about. But I don't want it just because it's on offer. I want to have earned it through my successes, not just ambition. And, again, to speak candidly, sir, I feel like my time aboard _Repulse_ was a series of failures, many of which cost lives. I made mistakes, and I made hard choices that didn't pay off. Not questioning your judgement, at all, sir, but you'll forgive me if I doubt my worthiness for command."

"Maybe I'm missing something from what I reviewed, but as far as I can tell, you're looking at this backwards."

"Sir?"

Herschel counted off on his fingers - something Tw'eak herself was fond of doing in explaining herself to junior officers. "First off, I've reviewed your 'hard choices', as you call them - and as far as I can see, they all came good. You took risks, sure, but you were the only one playing the odds instead of playing it safe. Don't get me wrong, playing it safe has its time and place, but standing up to the Tal Shiar like you did, not once but twice, and then successfully neutralizing the threat of Undine being assimilated by the Borg through decisive action... that's what we need more of in the command chair.

"Second, your 'failures' - as you call them. You brought your ship home. People died, I grant you, but we always have to run the difficult calculus of making decisions with people's lives. You lost good people. But you made the call, and you brought some of those good people home. A different officer, in your position, would've cost us a starship, and the lives of everyone aboard, not just the few."

Herschel leaned back in his chair, his hands falling into his lap, his eyes distantly fixed somewhere in the Azure Nebula. "But the main thing, which I don't think you appreciate - it's a common misconception - but no, as of this moment, you haven't proven yourself worthy of ...of anything. Being given the opportunity is the beginning, Captain. And as I said, most young officers, like yourself, spend your whole careers dreaming of how you'd handle being in charge. Most of them never get the chance to find out, for one reason or another.

"Being given a command, yeah, it's a risk. It's hard decisions, every day - being the model officer, every day. All of that, sure. But you don't prove your worthiness - to Starfleet or to yourself - in the hypothetical. You'll make more choices, and more mistakes along the way. If you're lucky, you learn from them - if not, well... then we give someone else a chance."

Herschel leaned forward. "This is becoming a speech. I should write this down for the next Academy graduation, at this rate. Look, what I'm trying to say is that your feeling, of being unworthy, is exactly where you should be right now. Otherwise you'll never have anything left to prove." He shook his head, a broad grin on his face. "And that's the worst thing we can do to someone with your capabilities - to give her nothing further to prove."

Tw'eak broke into a laugh as the turbolift door opened, finally accepting the admiral's point. "Thank you, sir.",

In from the turbolift came a female Vulcan in a Starfleet uniform bearing the rank of lieutenant, whom Tw'eak recognized right away. Herschel recognized her too, rising from the chair. "Here she is - good," the admiral said. Tw'eak managed to contain her surprise as she recognized her old friend T'uni, whom she had known for years, at the admiral's side. As was typical for a Vulcan, T'uni betrayed no sign of familiarity or warmth.

Herschel stood suddenly. "I gotta go, got an operations meeting to attend - this is Counselor T'uni, one of several counselors available to you over the next few days, if you require." He looked at T'uni. "Though I understand you two know each other, so that might make this a bit easier."

"Indeed," T'uni remarked. "It is agreeable to see you again, Captain."

Tw'eak nodded. "Yeah. It's been a long time."

Herschel extended a hand to Tw'eak, who rose from her seat to meet his handshake. "Good luck, then, Captain. Let me know which one you've decided on before the day ends, will you?"

"I will, sir," Tw'eak said as Herschel sped towards the turbolift. Within a moment he was gone, leaving Tw'eak with T'uni. The two stood on opposite sides of the admiral's desk for a moment before Tw'eak asked, "so how've you been?"

"I am well," T'uni replied. "And you, Captain?"

Tw'eak shook her head. "Don't you start with that."

"To address one's superior officers by their rank is... accepted practice."

"You - seriously." Tw'eak rolled her eyes. "How long have we known each other?"

"Approximately seventeen years." The dark-haired, impish Vulcan put both hands behind her back.

"And you're calling me by rank. Uzaveh's name, I don't know what's more ridiculous - that I made captain, or that you're ...doing that."

"I have availed myself, should you wish to discuss any particular aspect of your experience... ridiculous or otherwise."

Tw'eak looked at T'uni with hostility. "You 'availed yourself'?" she snapped.

"Indeed. Our counseling service was briefed on the _Repulse_'s current situation and disposition prior to your arrival. I requested permission to be the counselor of record in your debriefing, in order that you might... better come to terms."

"People just died out there because of me - their sacrifice earns me a promotion, and you think I'm going to 'come to terms' with it?"

"Not if our conversation consists merely of refutation."

"I am not-" Tw'eak caught herself. "Alright, maybe I am. Maybe I just don't know what to say." She turned. "Can we sit down or something?"

"I would prefer to know where you would feel most comfortable."

Tw'eak rolled her shoulders and stretched for a minute. "He really didn't think there'd be a court-martial. That can't be."

"The preliminary review of your report suggests no evidence of wrongdoing or misconduct in your actions." T'uni gave the slightest hint of impatience. "The admiral has, therefore, precluded any formality save for your meeting with him to be advised of his decision, and your subsequent promotion."

Tw'eak took a seat in the chair, and T'uni followed her to sit on the edge of the couch which was closest to her. "Uzaveh's name - that all really happened," She looked at the palms of her hands. "We fought an Undine. On the bridge. It killed... T'uni, it killed two of my officers there - my friends. They never had a chance. Without even trying, it just..." Her voice trailed off.

"They are renowned for their ferocity," the Vulcan noted.

"And it - one night, it came to kill me - at least, that was what we thought." Animated, Tw'eak met T'uni's eye briefly, before the counselor looked down at her padd, then jumped quickly from point to point. "It destroyed a planet - not it, I mean, but them, ALL of them... and one of them got itself assimilated by the Borg - fully assimilated. That's not supposed to happen - but it did. And the Tal Shiar - first we just manage to keep them from having free reign with some seriously dangerous Borg technology, then we kept the Borg from assimilating the Undine, and then I had to keep the Undine from getting... from killing me."

"There is a great deal of information which you are endeavouring to process," T'uni noted. "This is not uncommon for traumatic experiences, though in this case there does appear to be a... cascade of traumatic experiences."

"A 'cascade'."

T'uni gave a slight nod. "The term would be applicable, I believe."

"No, it sounds about right. But I hadn't thought of it like that, I guess. I - I think of it, and it's like something out of a holo-novel. It's not just the content, or the characters - it's like it's not my memory, like it was someone else playing the role of Twaiheak Sh'abbas in the thrilling adventure of her life. And now, here I am again, made it out alive. Any second now, the archway comes up - '_Computer, end program_' - and I go back on duty."

"Permit me to assure you that this is not a holodeck." T'uni indicated the expanse of the Azure Nebula beyond. "That is indeed the Azure Nebula. Beyond its expanse lies Federation space. There is no artifice, save that of the minor distortion created by the viewport's protective shielding."

"I get it," Tw'eak said pointedly. "But it doesn't feel real to me."

"This is an expected part of the process - for your experiences to have been, mentally, at a distance. It is a coping mechanism - for it to feel unreal introduces a reasonable doubt. Yet further, I can assure you that, as a matter of record, your actions in these events have proven not just acceptable, but commendable. The consequences, though unfortunate that loss of life transpired, have earned you a deserved promotion. It is logical to infer from the admiral's review that you have been proven worthy to taken command of your awaiting vessel and its crew."

Tw'eak froze. Her head darted around, her eyes fixed on the padds. "I can't believe those ships. They're too good." She shook her head. "I should be getting offered garbage scows, colony transports, not... not those."

"The admiral's review was unexpectedly direct in its wording, that you are to be given immediate command, once you have been given a chance to, I believe his phrase was, 'clear your head'. It is expected that you will have a transitional experience, where the initial phase of your command will be undertaken in a gradual fashion. It is imperative that you come to terms with the events that led to your promotion, in order to return to duty in your strongest and most capable state of mind."

"You really think it's that easy - just forget about it and move on."

T'uni glared at Tw'eak, but otherwise ignored her. "It is towards that state of mind which I intend to support you. However, given the passage of time, and hopefully, with my help, I can imagine that you would be thoroughly dissatisfied with discovering, at some future point in time, that your actions have led you to be assigned duty as captain of such a vessel as you describe." T'uni nodded in the desk's direction. "Those starships which you are being offered as your first command are far more befitting a captain of your talents."

T'uni had placed particular emphasis on the words '_captain_' and '_command_' - a counselor's trick - which Tw'eak found grating. "But I don't - you don't get it, do you?"

"I am attempting to, as you say, 'get it', but would welcome your clarification." As she said this, T'uni crossed her legs and leaned back.

The pose was unmistakable to Tw'eak. "I had a friend onboard who used to sit and listen like that, she was my ship's counselor - what is it with me and having counselors for friends?"

"We are, as you well know, indispensible." T'uni had the closest approximation to an amused smile on her face, as her lips turned slightly upwards.

"She and I investigated the two murders together. We got to be really close. But when we went to the bridge, the Undine was ready for us, and - and - it..." Tw'eak came to realize what she had witnessed and put a hand over her mouth. "It broke her neck - with no effort..." She snapped her fingers in front of her face, turning her head sharply as she did. "Like that."

T'uni consciously uncrossed her legs. "I apologize for inadvertently bringing up the memory. But please, if you would, tell me how her death made you feel."

"How did I feel? That's what I mean - I didn't have any feeling. I didn't have a chance. The Undine would've killed me next. We went up there without personal shields, we were... it sounds stupid now, but we didn't want to go into a captain's ready room shielded, or armed, without solid proof. And we couldn't get that kind of solid proof because it saw us coming, every time. It manipulated the computer - the transporters, the holodeck, the internal sensors, all playing its tune." She shook her head. "And I was angry. Frustrated. Then it killed Gwen, and... I don't know. Something just - like an emergency bulkhead or a forcefield, just firewalled me from what I felt. There was a threat. I had to take care of my people."

"Your training and experience governed your actions, logically, based upon the presented threat, and you reacted accordingly."

"I guess."

"No, that is fact," T'uni corrected. "Again, the admiral's report was unequivocal on that point. As further evidence, I would point out that you have survived."

"But V'Sar didn't. If it'd hit me with the psionic force it used on her, I would've been dead." Tw'eak considered for a moment. "We got Delano out, at least. And we got the weapons working again - I see your point, but that can't be all there is to it. I lived - they died, so it goes. That's not how this works - not how I work."

"Nevertheless, your statement is true. Random chance may merely have operated in your favour on this occasion, perhaps. However, I have read your report on your defense of the bridge, and likewise, your conduct throughout your service has been reviewed by the admiral, with no fault found on your behalf. To believe that your actions and decisions, based upon that training and experience, were anything other than the decisive factor would be... illogical."

Tw'eak felt exasperated. Her head and antennae lowered slowly. "I just did what I had to do. It wasn't enough."

"Admiral Herschel - and Starfleet - both disagree. I fully concur with their evaluation." T'uni arched an eyebrow, and rose from her seat, setting her padd on the couch before stepping forward in a deliberate pace. "You have conducted yourself with sufficient valour as to merit two separate promotions within the same year - a most unusual state of affairs, even given the current wartime necessities that govern decision-making."

"So what?" Tw'eak asked. "Didn't you hear me? It wasn't enough."

T'uni went to the admiral's desk and retrieved the padds. She brought them back to Tw'eak, moving slowly. "USS _Agincourt_, _Excelsior_-class." She flipped through. "USS _Bonaventure_, _Akira_-class. USS _Chandrasekhar_, _Intrepid_-class." She sat back down on the couch, placing the three padds on an adjacent table. "You are correct in your appraisal. These are all most agreeable options for one's first command. Any one of which would be proof that you have, in fact, done enough."

Tw'eak relented - there was no way to explain this to her logical Vulcan friend. She felt the weight of her losses all over again. "I gotta admit, I'd love to captain an escort like _Repulse_ was. _Bonaventure_ might make for a second chance, of sorts." She chuckled. "There were a lot of days where it felt like I _was_ in actual command."

"Your observation is consistent with Admiral Herschel's review. I shall leave it at that." T'uni held a hand out to the _Intrepid_-class starship. "Perhaps the _Chandrasekhar_? I recall you held a particular affection for Kathryn Janeway's service aboard a particular vessel of this class."

"She was a good captain." Tw'eak's antennae rose. "But that _Excelsior_-class ship has an appeal, too. Just like the starship _Tecumseh_, whose captain I admire a great deal. Maybe I should ask Captain Collins what she thinks of me having one of my own..."

T'uni cleared her throat. "That may not be possible."

Tw'eak leaned forward. "What? Why?"

"I... you have not been officially informed, then."

"Of what?"

T'uni took her own padd from the couch and made a few inputs, calling up an operational plan and map. "Yesterday, during your return to this starbase, Admiral Tuvok led a task force of seventeen starships, including vessels from the Klingon Empire and Romulan Republic, into fluidic space." She pointed to the diagram, which showed a point marked 'artificial singularity' upon it. "The starship _Tecumseh_ was part of the task force. Currently, they are among the missing."

"They didn't make it back?" Tw'eak's face fell. "They're gone, too?"

"I am sorry."

Tw'eak reviewed the mission debrief. "This - this can't be right. It says the _Repulse_ was part of this mission. That's impossible."

"The starship _Repulse_ was originally scheduled to be part of that mission, but your unavailable status required the _Stardancer_ to join the task force in its place." T'uni mused over a point, then recognized something worth noting. "Admiral Tuvok felt _Repulse_'s substitution with a science vessel to be appropriate regardless."

Tw'eak took a deep breath. "Rather than a heavily-armed escort. Yeah, good point."

"Rather, for the purpose of conducting thorough scans and research within fluidic space while the opportunity availed itself."

Nodding dismissively, Tw'eak rolled her hand. "So tell me what happened - to all of them, _Tecumseh_, _Stardancer_... You mentioned Admiral Tuvok, so _Voyager_ as well?"

"Indeed. During the mission, in addition to uncovering a Borg unicomplex under construction - and under attack - in fluidic space, a series of starships which also appeared to be from the Alpha Quadrant appeared. These were of Federation, Klingon and Romulan designs, but their alloys and energy signatures were not recognized as authentic."

Tw'eak stared blankly for a moment. "You're serious."

"I attempt to always remain serious," T'uni replied.

Tw'eak considered the action, as T'uni had described it. "Shapeshifting aliens attack us, and someone else makes fake starships to attack the shapeshifters." Tw'eak frowned. "But who created the fake ships, then?"

"The energy signatures were consistent with Iconian technology."

Tw'eak stared at T'uni for a moment. "You're serious." T'uni merely nodded. "I know, you're serious."

"I am," T'uni replied flatly.

"Wait - so the Undine are being attacked by the Borg AND the Iconians? We're sure of this?"

"Current speculation holds that the Undine's recent aggression may have been spurred by the Iconian presence. While we could discern the power source, we have no way of knowing if the Undine would be able - or, indeed, willing - to draw such a differentiation. They are known to be paranoid and territorially aggressive already."

Tw'eak nodded. "Anything that shows up, they're not likely to ask questions, they'll just blast them. That's why it came to my ship... it wanted answers."

"It would follow that they might attempt to infiltrate a Starfleet vessel, in order to anticipate or provide warning for the next incursion into fluidic space."

"So when it doesn't find anything, it... what, starts murdering my crew?"

"It would then take necessary action to conceal itself until it could ascertain intelligence regarding the next assault." T'uni tilted her head slightly in consideration. "Given that we know it found nothing, since there is no such thing to be found, I would imagine such a creature would find the experience... profoundly frustrating."

"You're not kidding." Tw'eak blew out her cheeks. "You know, I got promoted twice now because of those guys. First they seized Emperor Sela right out from under the _Nelson_ while we were fighting over Brea III, and now they're poking the Undine to strike against us."

"So it would appear. The Iconians have been known, on rare occasions, to influence events in their favour. This action of theirs would seemingly herald their return to active involvement in the affairs of the galaxy."

"If you're right, that's... the last thing we need. Klingons, Tal Shiar, Undine, Borg, and now Iconians, too."

"The evidence remains inconclusive presently. But I believe the Iconian presence to be a motivating factor in their actions." T'uni took back her padd from Tw'eak. "Starfleet Intelligence will, no doubt, be closely studying this mission report, as well as your reports, for some time to come, in order to anticipate the next move - both of the Iconians and the Undine. Perhaps the Borg, as well. "

Tw'eak fell silent for a moment. "That ship... the one you said replaced Repulse in the task force - the... _Stargazer_?"

"USS _Stardancer_," T'uni corrected.

"They make it back?"

"Yes, fortunately. The _Stardancer_ was one of three Starfleet vessels to survive - the others being the starships _Phinda_ and _Voyager_."

"And how many did we send again?"

"Seventeen," T'uni repeated, "including the _Tecumseh_."

Tw'eak gave a sad chuckle, her eyes on the padd. "Maybe I should take that as a hint - leave the _Excelsior_, take the _Intrepid_-class."

"There are few ships in Starfleet which enjoy the good fortune of the starship _Voyager_," T'uni noted. "It appears their 'luck', such as it is, has held once again."

"Maybe that's what I need," Tw'eak mused, her antennae half-tilted. "A lucky ship. I doubt they'll give me command of the _Voyager_ any time soon, though. Admiral Tuvok's flagship, after all - and besides, I'm no Kathryn Janeway, am I."

"Few are. However, if I may," T'uni said, fishing through the padds and retrieving one for Tw'eak. "The term '_bonaventure_' is derived from an ancient Earth language. Its meaning roughly translates to, 'good luck'."

Tw'eak looked at the _Akira_-class heavy escort carrier on the padd. She considered the contours of its catamaran-like hull, its awkward lines, nothing as clean or as smooth as the _Excelsior_ or _Intrepid_ designs. "_Bonaventure_," she said to herself, slowly nodding as she did. "This is the one, then." She looked at T'uni. "Just feels right."

"It has been my experience that following what 'feels right' is often a first step towards achieving acceptance of one's self, even if that which 'feels right' is not always logical."

"But I'm going to stipulate one major condition here, if you don't mind." Tw'eak thought for a moment. "Actually, two."

T'uni raised an eyebrow. "Very well?"

Tw'eak took a moment to collect her thoughts. "I used to have friends, people I served with whom I knew well enough to just... be myself with, when I served on the _Nelson_. Moving to _Repulse_, knowing no one and liking fairly few of them, I felt so isolated... so lonely." She looked the Vulcan counselor straight in the eye. "I want you to come with me."

"A curious stipulation."

"I want you onboard as the ship's counselor." Tw'eak raised a hand. "You're not there to look after me or anything, I just... want you around. Someone who knows me well enough that I can let myself be who I am." She twitched slightly. "Sometimes this uniform can be really confining, especially once it has a command rank on it."

T'uni considered for a moment. "I accept."

"Just like that?"

"It would be logical. I have served as part of the trauma counseling team of this starbase for quite some time, but have found it to be rather limiting, in terms of my ability to follow up and support the mental health of the officers I encounter. Perhaps a regular clientele such as exists aboard a starship would provide me with the appropriate sense of longevity."

"You may regret that," Tw'eak quipped. "My friend, the counselor, had a set of 'customers' she came to really dislike after a while, because they never seemed to learn, to change."

"I will seek to provide better service, then," T'uni replied.

"I don't really know if you could. Gwen was... a good counselor, and a good friend." Tw'eak's eye twinkled with a tear for just a moment. "I'll miss her."

"I would not wish to be so bold as to attempt to replace her, only to serve in like capacity. I will seek to serve capably as ship's counselor under your command. The position commends itself for the advantage it presents, as well."

Tw'eak gave T'uni a confused look. "What advantage is that?"

"Should I ultimately prove less than effective in the role, it would be only logical for me to blame you for my failings."

There was a moment, as Tw'eak attempted to figure out if T'uni had told a joke. Sure enough, the corners of her lips angled upwards, as did the tips of Tw'eak's antennae. "All of your failings?" Tw'eak asked mirthfully.

T'uni considered for a moment before adding, "indeed."

"You're shameless, you know that."

The Vulcan nodded, her face the picture of emotionless passivity. "As you well know. But you stipulated two conditions."

"Right. My counselor... my friend Gwen. She was a writer. I don't know how good of a writer or anything, but... She was writing a holo-novel, based upon her experiences aboard the ship."

T'uni's eyebrow arched sharply. "Indeed."

"It's not like that - she was... look, a ship like _Repulse_ can make for good holo-drama. Ask my former tactical officer." Tw'eak reached outwards with her hands. "Just... if I could get a copy of it, from among her personal files."

"It would not be accepted by a publisher in an incomplete state."

"Oh, I'm not interested in publishing it - and I'm no writer, so I wouldn't want to try and come up with my own ending on it. I just... I wanted to see what she had to offer. I don't care if it's any good, I'd just like..." Tw'eak paused for a moment, then added, "something to remember her by."

T'uni considered it for a moment, then nodded. "You should discuss this matter with Admiral Herschel. It may be easier to arrange if you can also inform him of which ship you intend to command."

"Ah yes." Tw'eak's eyes returned to the padd. "Is there some sort of 'accept' button that I'm supposed to press?"

"The admiral can usually be found in Ops. He will, after all, be awaiting your return. We should then seek to secure transport to Earth Spacedock." T'uni rose from her seat. "I will return to my quarters to collect my personal effects."

"Let me come with you, to help," Tw'eak replied. "Or I can meet you there. It's just... I'd love a chance to catch up. You never did tell me how you've been."

T'uni nodded. "There will be sufficient time to report on all that has elapsed during our journey on the transport."

This was as close to sentimental as T'uni was likely to get. "Alright. I'll let him know, and see you in a bit."

T'uni nodded and turned to go, then stopped. "I trust you will not become lost attempting to find my quarters?"

"It's okay, we have computers on these starbases that give really detailed directions." Tw'eak smiled at her friend. "I'll see you later."

As T'uni departed, Tw'eak took one quick last look at the padds on the side table - the starships _Agincourt_ and _Chandrasekhar _proudly displayed upon them - before her eyes turned back to the padd she held in her hand. "_Bonaventure_," she read aloud. After a moment of looking more closely, she felt a rush of excitement like she hadn't experienced in years. "Yeah," she said, cradling the padd - and by extension, the ship - to her chest like a baby as she half-twirled about, delirious. She held it out, eyes intent on the proud contours and design of the starship _Bonaventure_. In her mind, she silently hoped that this ship would portend the good fortune its name implied.

"Let's do this," she declared, not so much to the empty office as to all that awaited in her first command.

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

**Author's note**: Thank you so very much for reading. This story was written as a prequel, so if you haven't yet read 'Bonaventure', and its continuation, 'Warspite', please do! They continue the adventures of my main character through some of the events of the Star Trek Online storyline, including the Iconian War. You can find both 'Bonaventure' and 'Warspite' on this very website! I appreciate your readership and hope you enjoyed the story. Live long and prosper.


End file.
